Global Warming

On September 19th, 2021, Netflix tied the Emmy record for the most wins (44) in a single year. This record was previously set in 1974 by network giant CBS. These historic wins are being spoken about as a changing of the guard in Hollywood. Streaming services are becoming the industry leaders of content and where many Americans go to watch entertainment at home. Curious to learn more about sentiments surrounding these services, we polled viewers to learn how streaming media preferences and consumption are evolving in 2021.

Who America Is Streaming 

Like their abundant Emmy wins, Netflix is the dominant streaming service in American homes. 78% of respondents said they have subscription access to the platform. 53% reported they have a subscription to Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, and 51% have Disney Plus. When asked what platform they watched the most, answers appeared in a similar order. 35% watch Netflix the most, 11% watch Hulu, 9% favor Amazon Prime and 8% are on Disney +.

Americans also seem to agree with the Emmy committee on who is currently making the best streaming original content. 35% of people polled gave the distinction to Netflix, followed by Hulu, Amazon, and Disney+ respectively. 6% of respondents did think that HBO Max should be given the distinction. 

Source: PureSpectrum Insights Platform

What Americans Are Streaming 

But are streaming service preferences based solely on shows and series? Actually, no. More respondents report streaming movies/films over shows and series. 

Source: PureSpectrum Insights Platform

Additionally, when asked what their favorite aspect of streaming services was, the largest majority of respondents (20%) said access to movies. This was followed by content on-demand and the ability to binge-watch programming.

Despite the popularity of films, streaming services have received far fewer industry accolades for their in-house produced features. In April 2021, streaming set a new Academy Award record with 9 wins split between Netflix (7)  and Amazon (2). It should be noted that prior to this year the Academy had a requirement that films had to have a theatrical release to be considered. Even films destined for streaming platforms could only qualify for an award if they had spent at least a week in physical theaters. Because of Covid-19 lockdowns, this is no longer the case and may affect how streaming platforms produce cinematic content in the future.

How Americans Are Streaming 

When asked if they still also pay for cable, respondents were very equally split. 51% do still pay for cable television. Breaking down respondents by location we found that people in the Northeast (66%) pay for cable much more often than those in the Midwest (40%).

How American combat Global Warming

Source: PureSpectrum Insights Platform

Just because Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon seem to dominate our survey doesn’t mean there isn’t room for other streaming networks to grow. 51% of respondents report that the number of subscription services they pay for has increased in the last year. This increased viewership can only mean more financial backing for new productions. And while password sharing does occur, 58% of watchers say they don’t give passwords to anyone outside of their household.

It’s clearly no secret that streaming services are growing and with them, the ability to create new and innovative content seems to be increasing as well. We are excited to watch as this new frontier of entertainment grows, pun intended.

Want to learn more about running your own survey? See how easy it is on our Insights Platform.

Interested in getting further details about this data set?  Email us at marketing@purespectrum.com

 

Methodology

PureSpectrum interviewed 191 online respondents on September 17, 2021, using the PureSpectrum Insights Platform. The platform is integrated with the PureSpectrum Marketplace which combines proprietary measurement tools and third-party data validation to quickly collect high-quality insights. The study fielded in less than 20 minutes and targeted respondents within the United States and consisted of a general population audience of 18+ years old. This study uses a 95% confidence level to examine the data.

About PureSpectrum 

PureSpectrum offers a complete end-to-end market research and insights platform, helping insights professionals make decisions more efficiently, and faster than ever before. Awarded MR Supplier of the Year at the 2021 Marketing Research and Insight Excellence Awards, PureSpectrum is recognized for industry-leading data quality. PureSpectrum developed the respondent-level scoring system,  PureScore™, and believes their continued success stems from their talent density and dedication to simplicity and quality.

In the few years since its inception, PureSpectrum has been named one of the Fastest Growing Companies in North America on Deloitte’s Fast 500 since 2020, and ranked for three years in a row on the GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative List and the Inc. 5000 lists.