Whether it’s binging the latest season of a Netflix reality show, keeping up with everything the Mandalorian is doing, or playing music to accompany the workday, Americans are in love with streaming — and it’s not just us. Streaming content like TV shows, movies, live events, music, podcasts, and video games has gone from a niche concept to the standard way many people consume such content.
We wanted to understand the state of streaming in the U.S. and beyond, so we scoured the internet for facts and statistics around this vast and growing industry.
Table of Contents
TV Shows & Movies
For many people, the only way they watch TV shows these days is streaming from a service like Netflix or Disney+, and more people than ever before are also watching movies that way. In other words, video content like TV and film is the 600-pound gorilla when it comes to streaming.
Who’s Watching Streaming Services?
| U.S. adults and streaming services |
| Currently subscribe |
62% |
| Formerly subscribed |
10% |
| Never subscribed |
28% |
(Morning Consult)
| U.S. adults who subscribe to at least one streaming service by age group |
| 18-34 |
70% |
| 35-44 |
72% |
| 45-64 |
58% |
| 65+ |
49% |
(Morning Consult)
Which Platforms Are Most Popular?
| U.S. adult subscribers by streaming service |
| Netflix |
52% |
| Amazon Prime Video |
39% |
| Hulu |
30% |
| Disney+ |
24% |
| YouTube TV |
13% |
| Showtime |
10% |
| HBO Now* |
9% |
| Starz |
9% |
| ESPN+ |
7% |
| Apple TV+ |
7% |
| CBS All-Access* |
6% |
| Sling |
5% |
| DirecTV Now |
5% |
| Philo |
2% |
| Fubo TV |
1% |
* Survey conducted before Paramount Plus replaced CBS All-Access and HBO Max replaced HBO Now
(Morning Consult)
| Netflix subscribers by year, global in millions |
| 2013 |
37 |
| 2014 |
50 |
| 2015 |
65 |
| 2016 |
83 |
| 2017 |
102 |
| 2018 |
128 |
| 2019 |
156 |
| 2020 |
194 |
| 2021 |
208 |
(Netflix)
| Hulu subscribers by year, U.S. in millions |
| 2019 |
26 |
| 2020 |
34 |
| 2021 |
41 |
(The Walt Disney Co.)
| Disney+ subscribers by year, global in millions |
| 2020 |
47 |
| 2021 |
99 |
(The Walt Disney Co.)
Do Viewers Stick With One Service? (Spoiler Alert: No.)
| Streaming services per household, April 2020 vs. December 2020 |
| Month |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7+ |
| April 2020 |
16% |
22% |
22% |
16% |
10% |
6% |
8% |
| December 2020 |
13% |
18% |
18% |
17% |
11% |
8% |
13% |
(J.D. Power & Associates)
| Average number of streaming services per U.S. household |
| April 2020 |
3 |
| December 2020 |
4 |
(J.D. Power & Associates)
| Percentage of U.S. streaming subscribers who also subscribe to other major service |
| Platform subscribers |
Netflix |
Peacock Premium |
HBO Max |
Amazon Prime Video |
Disney+ |
Hulu |
Apple TV+ |
| Netflix |
— |
6% |
20% |
63% |
50% |
50% |
25% |
| Peacock Premium |
90% |
— |
80% |
94% |
86% |
88% |
72% |
| HBO Max |
90% |
22% |
— |
89% |
79% |
83% |
56% |
| Amazon Prime Video |
84% |
8% |
27% |
— |
61% |
62% |
34% |
| Disney+ |
87% |
10% |
31% |
82% |
— |
70% |
39% |
| Hulu |
85% |
10% |
32% |
79% |
68% |
— |
38% |
| Apple TV+ |
92% |
17% |
46% |
91% |
81% |
79% |
— |
(Statista & Reelgood)
What Are People Spending on Streaming?
Average monthly household spending on streaming services
| April 2020 |
$38 |
| December 2020 |
$47 |
(J.D. Power & Associates)
| Average annual per-person expenditure on streaming and downloading video by year |
| 2013 |
$11.09 |
| 2014 |
$17.80 |
| 2015 |
$22.35 |
| 2016 |
$30.06 |
| 2017 |
$37.29 |
| 2018 |
$50.22 |
| 2019 |
$64.83 |
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
| U.S. video streaming revenue in billions |
| 2017 |
$14 |
| 2018 |
$17 |
| 2019 |
$21 |
| 2020 |
$27 |
| 2021 |
$32 |
| 2022 |
$37 |
| 2023 |
$40 |
| 2024 |
$43 |
| 2025 |
$46 |
Note: 2021-25 are projections
(Statista)
How Often Do People Watch?
| Percentage of U.S. adults streaming video content daily |
| All |
40% |
| 18-44 |
55% |
| 45+ |
27% |
(Leichtman Research Group)
| Streaming frequency by age group: TV shows |
| Age group |
Every day |
Several times per week |
About once per week |
Several times per month |
About once per month |
Less than once per month |
Never |
| 18-29 |
52% |
23% |
6% |
5% |
3% |
6% |
5% |
| 30-44 |
51% |
27% |
8% |
4% |
3% |
3% |
5% |
| 45-54 |
45% |
27% |
9% |
5% |
1% |
3% |
10% |
| 55-64 |
55% |
25% |
5% |
5% |
1% |
4% |
6% |
| 65+ |
54% |
18% |
2% |
5% |
1% |
5% |
13% |
(Morning Consult)
| Streaming frequency by age group: Movies |
| Age group |
Every day |
Several times per week |
About once per week |
Several times per month |
About once per month |
Less than once per month |
Never |
| 18-29 |
25% |
30% |
14% |
13% |
7% |
6% |
4% |
| 30-44 |
21% |
32% |
17% |
11% |
9% |
6% |
4% |
| 45-54 |
14% |
31% |
19% |
10% |
9% |
8% |
9% |
| 55-64 |
11% |
30% |
21% |
10% |
9% |
12% |
7% |
| 65+ |
9% |
22% |
14% |
13% |
11% |
12% |
18% |
(Morning Consult)
Which Shows & Movies Are Most Popular?
| Streaming originals ratings, 2020 |
| Show |
Network |
Millions of minutes viewed |
| Ozark |
Netflix |
30,462 |
| Lucifer |
Netflix |
18,975 |
| The Crown |
Netflix |
16,275 |
| Tiger King |
Netflix |
15,611 |
| The Mandalorian |
Disney+ |
14,519 |
| The Umbrella Academy |
Netflix |
13,470 |
| Great British Baking Show |
Netflix |
13,279 |
| Boss Baby: Back in Business |
Netflix |
12,625 |
| Longmire |
Netflix |
11,382 |
| You |
Netflix |
10,965 |
(Nielsen)
| Streaming movies ratings, 2020 |
| Movie |
Network |
Millions of minutes viewed |
| Frozen II |
Disney+ |
14,924 |
| Moana |
Disney+ |
10,507 |
| Secret Life of Pets 2 |
Netflix |
9,123 |
| Onward |
Disney+ |
8,367 |
| Dr. Suess' The Grinch |
Netflix |
6,180 |
| Hamilton |
Disney+ |
6,132 |
| Spenser Confidential |
Netflix |
5,374 |
| Aladdin (2019) |
Disney+ |
5,172 |
| Toy Story 4 |
Disney+ |
4,416 |
| Zootopia |
Disney+ |
4,400 |
(Nielsen)
| Streaming acquired shows ratings, 2020 |
| Show |
Network |
Millions of minutes viewed |
| The Office |
Netflix |
57,127 |
| Grey's Anatomy |
Netflix |
39,405 |
| Criminal Minds |
Netflix |
35,414 |
| NCIS |
Netflix |
28,134 |
| Schitt's Creek |
Netflix |
23,785 |
| Supernatural |
Netflix |
20,336 |
| Shameless |
Netflix |
18,218 |
| New Girl |
Netflix |
14,545 |
| The Blacklist |
Netflix |
14,480 |
| Vampire Diaries |
Netflix |
14,091 |
(Nielsen)
COVID-19 Impact on Streaming
| U.S. consumers subscribing to at least one new streaming service |
| July 2020 |
28% |
| November 2020 |
34% |
| February 2021 |
44% |
(Statista & Hub Entertainment Research)
| U.S. adults more likely to watch streaming TV because of COVID by generation |
| All |
41% |
| Gen Z |
47% |
| Millennials |
48% |
| Gen X |
48% |
| Baby Boomers |
30% |
(Morning Consult)
| U.S. consumers paying to watch first-run movies at home because of COVID |
| July 2020 |
19% |
| November 2020 |
24% |
| February 2021 |
30% |
(Statista & Hub Entertainment Research)
Music
For most people, when you ask them to conjure an image of streaming content, they’ll likely jump to a show or film. But music streaming is also incredibly popular, and it’s been a fixture for far longer than video streaming services.
Who’s Listening to Streaming Music?
| Paid music streaming subscribers, U.S. in millions |
| 2014 |
7.9 |
| 2015 |
9.1 |
| 2016 |
20.3 |
| 2017 |
31.5 |
| 2018 |
43.7 |
| 2019 |
58.2 |
| 2020 |
72.1 |
(Recording Industry Association of America)
| Leading music streaming services by U.S. mobile reach |
| Apple Music |
24% |
| Spotify |
24% |
| Pandora Radio |
17% |
| iHeartRadio |
14% |
| Google Play Music |
12% |
| Amazon Music |
9% |
| SoundCloud |
8% |
| Shazam |
7% |
(Statista & Verto)
| Platforms used by weekly streaming consumers |
| Spotify |
49% |
| YouTube |
37% |
| Pandora Music |
33% |
| Amazon Music |
32% |
| Apple Music |
17% |
| iTunes |
15% |
| iHeartRadio |
15% |
| YouTube Music |
13% |
| Google Play |
12% |
| SoundCloud |
9% |
| Tidal |
2% |
| Deezer |
1% |
| Napster |
1% |
| Other |
6% |
(Audience Project)
How Large is the Music Streaming Market?
| Streaming music revenue by source, U.S in millions |
| Year |
Paid |
Ad-supported |
Digital and customized radio |
| 2015 |
$474 |
$159 |
$387 |
| 2016 |
$1,067 |
$199 |
$407 |
| 2017 |
$1,712 |
$273 |
$493 |
| 2018 |
$2,550 |
$369 |
$527 |
| 2019 |
$3,322 |
$410 |
$433 |
| 2020 |
$3,792 |
$421 |
$468 |
(Recording Industry Association of America)
Turn It Up: Which Genres Are Played Most Often?
| Streaming volume by select top genres |
| Hip-hop/R&B |
31% |
| Rock |
16% |
| Pop |
13% |
| Country |
7% |
| Latin |
6% |
| Dance/electronic |
3% |
| Christian/gospel |
2% |
| World music |
2% |
| Children |
1% |
| Jazz |
1% |
| Classical |
1% |
(Billboard)
Podcasts & Other Content
So far, we’ve covered streaming movies, TV shows, and music, but there are many other types of content that can be streamed, including podcasts, online audio and video games. Podcasts and streaming games in particular are enjoying quite a moment right now.
Podcasts
| U.S. consumers who have ever listened to a podcast |
| 2006 |
11% |
| 2007 |
13% |
| 2008 |
18% |
| 2009 |
22% |
| 2010 |
23% |
| 2011 |
25% |
| 2012 |
29% |
| 2013 |
27% |
| 2014 |
30% |
| 2015 |
33% |
| 2016 |
36% |
| 2017 |
40% |
| 2018 |
44% |
| 2019 |
51% |
| 2020 |
55% |
| 2021 |
57% |
(Triton Digital)
| U.S. monthly podcast listeners in millions |
| 2013 |
32 |
| 2014 |
40 |
| 2015 |
46 |
| 2016 |
57 |
| 2017 |
65 |
| 2018 |
75 |
| 2019 |
88 |
| 2020 |
103 |
| 2021* |
120 |
| 2022* |
140 |
| 2023* |
164 |
* Projected
(Activate Consulting)
| Podcast consumers by generation |
| Gen Z |
43% |
| Millennials |
48% |
| Gen X |
33% |
| Boomers |
23% |
| Greatest |
17% |
(Statista & Jacobs Media Tech Survey)
| Most commonly used podcast apps among U.S. podcast listeners |
| Spotify |
25% |
| Apple Podcasts |
20% |
| Google Podcasts |
16% |
| Pandora |
15% |
| Website |
11% |
| Audible |
10% |
| NPR One |
9% |
| Tune In |
8% |
| Deezer |
7% |
| Podcast Addict |
7% |
| RadioPublic |
6% |
| Stitcher |
6% |
| Overcast |
6% |
| Pocket Casts |
6% |
| CastBox |
5% |
(eMarketer)
| Time of day when listening to podcasts |
| 6-10 a.m. |
23% |
| 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
32% |
| 3-7 p.m. |
18% |
| 7 p.m. to midnight |
21% |
| Midnight to 6 a.m. |
6% |
Online Radio & Other Audio
| Weekly minutes spent with online radio/audio, U.S. |
| 2008 |
373 |
| 2009 |
391 |
| 2010 |
482 |
| 2011 |
557 |
| 2012 |
586 |
| 2013 |
716 |
| 2014 |
799 |
| 2015 |
773 |
| 2016 |
728 |
| 2017 |
879 |
| 2018 |
820 |
| 2019 |
1003 |
| 2020 |
912 |
| 2021 |
974 |
(Radio Advertising Bureau)
| Monthly online radio/audio reach by age group |
| 12-35 |
86% |
| 35-54 |
72% |
| 55+ |
46% |
(Radio Advertising Bureau)
Video Games
| Hours of video game livestreams watched worldwide in billions |
| 2019 |
4 |
| 2020 |
5 |
| 2021 |
9 |
* Q1 each year
(Stream Hatchet)
| Hours of video game livestreams watched by platform, worldwide in billions |
| Twitch |
6 |
| YouTube Live Gaming |
1 |
| Facebook Gaming |
1 |
* Q1 2021
(Stream Hatchet)
| Increase in hours watched worldwide, 2019-2021 |
| Facebook Gaming |
1,000% |
| Twitch |
144% |
| YouTube Live Gaming |
100% |
(Stream Hatchet)
Watch This Page for More
Streaming content is the norm now, and with several types of streaming enjoying massive growth, we’ll keep bringing you the most up-to-date and insightful data when it comes to all things streaming.
