This year is shaping up to be a big one for streaming subscriptions. With the addition of newcomers like Discovery+ and Paramount+, 50 million new streaming video subscriptions could be added by the end of this year, bringing the total count to more than 385 million according to analysts at UBS, reported by Fierce Video.
“The focus remains on subscriber growth, which should remain strong in 2021 given new service launches, promotional pricing, shifting film windowing and ramping DTC content production. That said, we remain concerned about these businesses’ ability to build on the economics of linear TV – the service they are increasingly replacing,” UBS analyst John Hodulik writes.
Breaking it down by streamer, the analyst firm predicts Disney+ and Paramount+ will each have 1 million net subscription adds, with HBO Max and Discovery+ adding 7 million each. These numbers are based on the firm’s latest UBS Evidence Lab App Download data. Hodulik also noted that subscribers could jump between platforms depending on what new content is being released, as well as current Live sports. As we noted earlier, streamers are taking advantage of this straight-to-streaming shift cinema releases are taking by using them to attract and retain subscribers.
Disney+ alone currently has more than 100 Million subscribers worldwide tuning in to new releases like Raya and the Last Dragon, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy, Cruella, and more, in addition to classic content.
The total number of global streaming service subscriptions surpassed 1.1 billion globally at the end of 2020. In contrast, cable TV decreased by 2% in 2020, dropping to 530.7 million globally.
According to UBS, the U.S. added 47 million new streaming video subscribers in 2020, less than what’s expected now in 2021. The biggest recent jump happened from 2018 to 2019 when the new subscriber count skyrocketed from 23 million to 43 million new additions.