Subscriber Count Check-In

What Can Subscriber Counts Tell Us?

September 21, 2021

Every so often, we like to check in on the subscriber counts of the top streaming services. This is an informative practice for a few reasons. It helps us get an updated pulse of the streaming landscape, for one. But it also helps us draw some conclusions about which services might be in a death spiral and which ones are in the middle of a breakthrough. 

Streamer's Spotlight: Streaming Service Subscriber Counts: Winners and Losers

Between live TV and on-demand streaming services, we can get a good idea of the current streaming landscape. Our big takeaways: Netflix is losing stream as competition heats up, Hulu + Live TV is doing better than YouTube TV, and Apple TV+ has suspiciously high numbers. 

1. Netflix Losing Steam in the US and Canada?

Netflix now has 209 million subscribers as of Q2 2021. It even beat its target goal of 1 million adds, instead adding 1.5 million subscribers. Yet in the US and Canada (Netflix does not separate these two regions in its reporting any longer), the

. Its international base is growing, but its US base is shrinking. And that has everything to do with competition. US and Canada are its biggest markets, and the US, in particular, has a growing landscape of options. More likely than not, US subscribers are growing weary of paying for so many services, and Netflix is starting to get the ax.

2. Hulu + Live TV Hits 3.7 Million Subs

Hulu + Live TV, the Disney-owned live TV streaming service, has now hit

That's an increase of 500,000 subscribers since the Q1 2021 report from Disney. That's good growth, but less than the company reported in 2020, where it had one point reported 4.1 million subscribers. Those wavering numbers suggest the company is being heavily impacted by sports season, which will undoubtedly impact whether it rebuilds its local sports streaming contracts. 

3. Disney+ Now Has 116 Million Subscribers

The House of Mouse is edging in on Netflix has it now has

. Comparatively, it had under 110 million in Q2 2021. This rapid growth is in no small way thanks to the success of its Marvel content, which it's producing at a fast clip. However, it'll likely need to diversify or it may find customers losing interest. 

4. Apple TV+ Has...How Many Subscribers?

Apple continues to play a coy marketing game with its Apple TV+ streaming service. The company claimed it had

at the end of 2020, but other reports indicate that over 60% of its subscribers are those who accessed the service with free subscriptions for owning Apple products. 

The company meanwhile reported that its Apple Services revenue hit

. Apple TV+ is under this wing, but there's no telling how much of that revenue is coming from Apple TV+. So there's still a big question mark here. What we can say is that the hit show Ted Lasso may be driving subs for the service, but there's no telling how many that actually is.  

This Week's Streaming Guide

1. 'Star Wars: Visions' Streaming This Wednesday

The latest Star Wars show is headed to Disney+ this Wednesday. Watch the Star War: Vision anthology show on Sept. 22. -

2. Watch 'The Wonder Years' Reboot This Wednesday

The greatest reboot of the year is headed to ABC this Wednesday. Stream live at 8:30 PM EST. -

3. 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' Season 2 Streaming

This popular new iteration of Law and Order streams this Thursday, September 23, at 10 PM EST on NBC. -

4. Apple TV+ 'Foundation' Series Available this Friday

The hit novel series made real is now available on Apple TV+. Stream on Apple TV+ this Friday, September 24. -

News and Industry Developments

1. 38 Million Broadband Customers Are Cord-Cutters

There's a big connection between high-speed internet and cord-cutting. -

2. Apple TV+ Is Not a Big Failure, Actually

Apple plans to go all-in on marketing its service with $500 million devoted to marketing Apple TV+. -

3. All the Spooky Stuff Coming to Netflix for Halloween 2021

Netflix plans on giving its line-up a Halloween glow-up. -

4. HBO Is Leaving Amazon Prime Video Channels

WarnerMedia wants to make sure that the HBO Max app is the primary access point for subscribers. -

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