Which streamer has the most ad-supported subscribers?

Five big questions re: ad-supported streaming:
1) What share of streaming subscriptions are ad-supported?
2) How much time do we spend with ad-supported streaming?
3) Which streamer has the most ad-supported subscribers?
4) How much less expensive are ad-supported plans?
5) Do ad-supported subscribers generate more revenue compared to ad-free?

What share of streaming subscriptions are ad-supported?

Share of streaming subscriptions that are ad-supported according to Antenna:
1) 2022 - 31%
2) 2023 - 36%
3) 2024 - 45%

Wow: 57% of all streaming sign-ups last year were ad-supported.

How much time do we spend with ad-supported streaming?

Quick answer: 14% of convergent TV time comes from ad-supported streaming (AVOD + FAST).

Share of viewing time (June 2024) according to Entertainment Strategy Guy:
1) Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) - 20%
2) Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) - 10%
3) Free ad-supported streaming (FAST) - 4%

YoY change for viewing time by streaming type:
1) FAST - ↑ 30%
2) AVOD - ↑ 13%
3) SVOD - ↓ 5%

Which streamer has the most ad-supported subscribers?

U.S. ad-supported subscriber counts according to Activate Consulting:
1) Prime Video - 47M (83%)
2) Hulu - 30M (58%)
3) Peacock - 26M (79%)
4) Disney+ - 16M (32%)
5) Paramount+ - 14M (35%)
6) Netflix - 11M (15%)
7) Max - 6M (21%)

Sign-ups choosing ad-supported tiers:
1) Peacock - 78%
2) Hulu - 66%
3) Disney+ - 63%
4) Discovery+ - 54%
5) Paramount+ - 50%
6) Max - 42%
7) Netflix - 41%

Why this matters: Peacock and Hulu pushed ads early. Netflix didn’t.  Amazon played a different game by making its ad-supported plan opt-out.

How much less expensive are ad-supported plans?

Quick answer: Ad-free plans are 83% more expensive ($13.88 vs. $7.57) compared to ad-supported.

Monthly revenue per subscriber (ARPU) from 2022-24, according to Antenna:
1) Ad-free - $13.29 → $13.88 (↑ 4%)
2) Ad-supported - $6.54 → $7.57 (↑ 16%)

Do ad-supported subscribers generate more revenue compared to ad-free?

Revenue per user (ARPU) difference between ad-free and ad-supported, according to Activate Outlook:
1) Disney+ - ↑ 63%
2) Netflix - ↑ 13%
3) Max - ↑ 12%
4) Hulu - ↑ 7%
5) Peacock - ↓ 5%
6) Paramount+ - ↓ 15%

Why this matters: Ad-supported plans cost $6 less, but smarter ads help streamers make even more per user.