Top 5 Most Popular Streaming Services in the US

Rosemary May 19, 2021 | 12:03

When asked what the most popular streaming service is, most of us will assume Netflix. But in the US, Netflix is not on the top position. Check out our list of 5 most popular streaming services in the US.

Top 5 Most Popular Streaming Services in the US

Check out our list of 5 most popular streaming services in the US. Photo KnowInsiders

TV isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days of having four main channels and a fifth one if you wriggled the aerial - thanks to streaming services, a world of entertainment is now at our fingertips.

Here is a list of 5 most popular streaming services in the US:

1.Amazon Prime

2.Netflix

3.ESPN

4.Hulu

5.Disney Plus

While many of us may just assume that Netflix is the predominant streaming service in the United States, a new study has found otherwise. Photo electricaldirect

1.Amazon Prime-Annual Search Volume: 298.8 million

Photo Business Insider

Things look much better for Amazon over in America. With a huge 24.9 million monthly searches in the States, Prime is in poll position by some way.

Conducted and published by Electrical Direct, the study took a look at the preferred streaming platform in each country across the globe. They did this by gaging international TV streaming habits by analyzing the Google search volume of 42 different platforms worldwide.

Unlike the majority of Europe that prefers Netflix, Amazon Prime video was the top streaming service in Spain with the monthly search volume being 1.83m. It was also the number one choice for Turkey and Italy too.

2.Netflix-Annual Search Volume: 244.8 million

A few million behind, Netflix has to settle for second with 20.4 million searches.

When it comes to world dominance, however, Netflix certainly takes the cake. Electrical Direct reveals that 94 countries watch more content on the streaming behemoth than any others, 25 of which are in Europe.

“Netflix has been going since 1997,” details the study. “Their early service let you rent and borrow DVDS through the mail but they’ve since gone on to become an online streaming giant earning a huge $1.2 billion every year.

Americans are staying indoors, thanks to the COVID-19 quarantine. To pass the time, many have turned to video-streaming services such as Netflix for entertainment. The company recently reported adding 15.77 million more worldwide subscribers in the first quarter of 2020. But how has quarantine changed our streaming behavior?

Photo PcMag

In 2019, Netflix admitted the average user watched around two hours a day, but with everyone stuck at home, that number has gone up. Nielson found that users are watching video 61 percent longer, which means Americans are now watching 3.2 hours of video a day while in quarantine.

3.ESPN-Annual Search Volume: 199.2 million

Photo ESPN

It’s ESPN who complete the top three. The sports specialist sees 16.6 million searches every month, with drama of a different kind seeing fans flock in their droves.

4.Hulu-Annual Search Volume: 89.65 million

Photo Decider

5.Disney Plus-Annual Search Volume: 73.44 million

Photo VnReview

World domination and chill: Netflix is the number one streaming service in the world

Unsurprisingly, the world’s original streaming service comes out as number one. As the most popular streaming option in 94 countries, Netflix easily beats competition from the other big names in the UK. Amazon Prime is only number one in 11 countries, while the relatively new Disney Plus only takes the title in three.

Netflix’s global domination extends to the UK, with five million searches for its services every month. That’s a whole lot of boxsets. In second place is Amazon Prime with 274,000 searches, making them almost half as popular as their main rival. Completing the top three is Disney Plus, who shot to success during the first wave of national lockdowns. Their mix of childhood classics and modern blockbusters sees them rack up a monthly total of 150,000 searches.

Lower down the list we find the likes of BBC iPlayer (1m searches) and All 4 (450,000 searches), while Britbox - the national TV collaboration - only manages 301,000 searches.

With so much streaming choice, all you need is a good cable connection and you’ll never need to leave the house again.

Streaming Services Around the World

-HBO Max dominates in Denmark: Another European country bucking the Netflix trend is Denmark, the residents of which seem to prefer the offerings of HBO Max. The service receives 201k monthly searches from Danish residents.

-In some countries, streaming options are much more limited. China, for example, has strict rules in place that prevent the likes of Facebook and Twitter from being used. Those rules extend to Netflix, Prime and Disney Plus, with only government-approved services such as iQiyi and Youku on offer.

-Russia imposes similar restrictions, meaning people there get their fiction fix from a service called Ivi, while in African nations such as the Republic of Congo, Zambia and Montenegro, Bet+ is the streamer of choice.