ALEXANDRIA, Va.—A new research study from CTAM and Hub Entertainment Research highlights the high cost of bad app design and poor user experiences with survey data showing that a poor streaming user experience (UX) is cited by a surprising 36% of viewers, and 43% of viewers under 25, as the sole reason they’ve cancelled a streaming subscription, according to the study.

The result is notable because pricing and the quality of content are often seen as by far the biggest driver of subscription cancellations and churn, which can significantly add to a service's marketing costs.

“This research underscores the extent to which TV apps are compared not just to other TV apps, but to all of the apps consumers use across categories,” said Jon Giegengack, founder of Hub Entertainment Research and one of the research authors. “Viewers have high expectations, and even small moments of friction can quickly accumulate to cause frustration and abandonment. The findings are clear that improving even seemingly small frustrations can have a big impact on satisfaction, engagement and churn.”

The new research report, Value by Design: Building a Better Streaming UX and Discovery Experience, available to CTAM members, examines the importance of the streaming user experience to consumers’ overall satisfaction. Additional notable findings include:

• TV apps are evaluated against all apps across categories. Two-thirds (68%) of viewers do at least some of their decision-making outside of dedicated TV apps. Users judge their experience against all other apps across categories including Instagram and TikTok.
• TV apps are delivering. 90% of those surveyed were very or somewhat satisfied by their user experience. But there is room to improve. 72% experience at least one problem that leaves them “extremely frustrated” and 80% experience one problem that happens “all the time.”
• Hub tested also 20 UX problems to learn how often they happen and how frustrating they are when they do. Then 13 design solutions were tested, with five found to most likely add value to a subscription. The most damaging design and navigation issue was found to be “burying” of common tasks like having to scroll too far for “Continue Watching” and a hard-to-find “Watch List.”

The study identifies some potential solutions, with the two that would most impact viewer behavior including:

• Pinned “Continue Watching” – 46% loved this feature; 63% say they would absolutely use it; 42% think it would make their subscription more valuable; and 48% say it would make them more likely to keep their subscription.
• Pinned Watch Lists – 39% loved this feature; 56% say they would absolutely use it; 36% think it would make their subscription more valuable; and 43% say it would make them more likely to keep their subscription.
• Viewers reward apps that open straight into content – relevant, actionable, and free of decision fatigue.

One survey respondent over age 35 said: “When I open an app, I want it to already be where I left off or already doing what I need. The ones I like don’t make me figure anything out.”

Young viewers have less tolerance when the app experience fails.

For Gen Z viewers, the idea of more relevant recommendations was highly appealing, with 59% of viewers ages 13-24 saying that TV recommendations don’t feel like they are designed for them vs. 45% of older viewers.

Younger viewers also make viewing decisions well before turning on the TV, with 43% reporting they decide what to watch in advance vs. 35% of older viewers.

Plus, they look to social media for those recommendations; 48% of viewers 13-24 said they hear about shows and movies from trailers on social platforms vs. 38% of older viewers.

“This latest research highlights the pivotal role CTAM plays to give our members a big picture perspective on industry-wide challenges,” said Vicki Lins, president and CEO, CTAM. “Consumers by and large are satisfied with streaming apps, but a negative user experience can be a silent killer, quietly eroding loyalty while price and content grab the headlines. The full report for CTAM members reveals the extent of the threat posed by poor user experience, and how the industry can give consumers more clarity and control.”

The CTAM/Hub Entertainment Research study, "Value by Design: Building a Better Streaming UX and Discovery Experience", included both quantitative and qualitative elements: first, an online survey of 3,000 U.S. consumers ages 13-64, with the sample balanced to the U.S. census by gender, age, and race; and second, 24 in-depth interviews with a mix of Pay TV subscribers and cord cutters/cord nevers who subscribed to at least one streaming service. The research was conducted in April 2026.

CTAM members can access the full report on the group's website here.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—A new study finds the long-term rise in ad acceptance continues, with ad intolerance falling to a record low across all age groups, and that viewers are supportive of AI tools if they are used to improve discoverability and the viewing experience.

In particular, Hub Entertainment Research’s semi-annual "TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction" study found that Gen Z viewers are more accepting of ads when they help reduce the cost of streaming services. Younger viewers also place a higher value on ad relevance and are more open to targeted ad experiences even though they are more likely to be multitasking and potentially distracted while watching TV.

Overall the study found that ad acceptance has reached a five-year high. As subscription prices have risen and ad-supported options have proliferated, the numbers of viewers who would pay to avoid ads, and the number who say they cannot tolerate ads are at all-time lows.

Just under one third of viewers expressed a preference to pay an extra $4-5 dollars per month to avoid ads.

“In the past few waves of this TV Advertising study, we’ve seen viewers concerned with costs and the general direction of the economy,” said Mark Loughney, senior consultant at Hub. “Those concerns have led to more viewers looking for ways to reduce costs. The TV advertising marketplace stands to benefit from consumers’ increased openness to advertising as a means of saving money on subscriptions. If streamers can continue to use tools at their disposal to make the ad experience better by including AI, it’s a win for both them and their viewers.”

At the same time, in the most recent wave, only one in ten viewers said they “can’t tolerate” ads.

When presented with a higher ad load in exchange for lower subscription costs, Gen Z viewers are significantly more likely than older audiences to choose savings over fewer ads.

Gen Z viewers are more likely to prefer fewer, but more targeted ads.

Just over a third of Gen Z viewers say they would prefer to see fewer ads that are targeted to them, significantly higher than older viewers.

Among all viewers, comfort levels vary significantly depending on the type of data used for ad targeting. Audiences are most willing to share information related to their viewing habits, as well as basic demographic details such as age and gender. In contrast, there is considerably less willingness to share more personal information, including social media activity, income, and AI chat history.

Although Gen Z viewers are more likely to multitask during ad breaks, they remain aware of the ads that play.

Nearly all Gen Z viewers report using another device at least occasionally during commercial breaks – significantly more than Gen X and Boomers. The good news for advertisers is that despite this divided attention, eight in ten say they continue listening to ads while engaging with other screens.

As a result, Gen Z viewers are more likely than Gen X or Boomers to report that they are aware of TV ads during breaks.

Across all ages, TV advertising holds a trust advantage over social media when it comes to the use of personal data, with older audiences expressing higher levels of trust.

The majority of Gen Z, Gen X, and Boomer viewers believe TV services will be more responsible than social media platforms in using personal data for targeting. In turn, the targeted ads viewers see on TV feel more appropriate than those that appear in social media.

However, when it comes to ad impact, TV ads deliver better for older viewers. Gen X and Boomers are more likely to say TV ads are more memorable, attention-getting and fun to watch, while Gen Z viewers rate TV and creator videos equally.

AI tools that improve the ad experience are welcome, especially among young viewers. Gen Z are more likely than older viewers to consider generative AI tools as a positive thing.

Regarding TV advertising, the majority of all viewers believe AI can be used in a positive way if it makes the viewing experience better by reducing ad repetition, or making ads feel less interruptive.

Viewers are also positive toward the use of AI if it enhances other aspects of the TV viewing experience by improving content suggestions or making ads more relevant and contextually appropriate.

However, when it comes to the use of AI to create advertising messages, viewers are more skeptical. Over a third are somewhat or very negative toward the idea of commercials or trailers generated by AI tools.

These findings are from Hub’s 2026 “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” report, based on a survey conducted among 3,000 US consumers age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in April, 2026 and explored consumers’ attitudes toward advertising, how it differs across video platforms, and how ad strategy affects viewer engagement. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) has moved from the margins of the streaming landscape to the center of how Americans watch TV, according to a new study from Hub Entertainment Research.

The "FAST: Full Throttle” report finds that many U.S. TV viewers now use FAST services, and roughly half of those users now describe FAST as "must-have." The findings reframe free streaming as more than a down market compromise and reveal that FAST viewers are remarkably similar to the paying streaming customer.

“‘Free’ is a reason for people to try a service, but it’s not enough to create real engagement over the long term,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub and one of the authors of the study. “However, this research shows the library content most FASTs are built around is actually a selling point for many users, as is the low-friction user experience of services that often don’t even require you to create an account. As the cost of streaming — and everything else — keeps rising, free streaming will keep gaining ground.”

Other key findings from Hub’s inaugural FAST report include the fact that FAST is now a fixture, not a fallback.

A majority of TV viewers (55%) have used at least one FAST service, and roughly half of regular FAST users (46%) say those services are a “must-have” part of the entertainment ecosystem. Use is also sticky: 28% of FAST users say they watch every day.

In addition, FAST viewers aren't who the industry thought they would be, the study finds.

Free services were expected to appeal mainly to consumers who don’t care enough about TV to pay for it. The data says otherwise. FAST users spend just as much time watching TV: FAST viewers report watching about 24 hours of TV per week, statistically in line with the 22 hours watched by those who don’t use FAST platforms.

They also spend almost as much money: FAST users estimate they spend about $75 per month on TV services, only slightly less than non-FAST users ($84). Plus, 60% say they use FAST as a complement to their paid services, rather than a replacement for paid services.

These users are just as invested in TV: 67% say watching TV is an important part of their lives – the same percentage as among those who only use paid sources of TV.

“Free” is the biggest draw — but it’s not the only one. When asked to name the benefits of free streaming compared to other kinds of services, 87% of viewers mention the fact that they don’t cost anything to use. However, a near-frictionless experience (many FASTs don’t require a login at all) and the depth of the library content are also major factors.

Quick to access (40%) is important: Unlike pure SVOD services, viewers can find live streaming shows playing as soon as they open the app. To add, many free services don’t even require an account.

Easy to discover (33%): A third of users say that it’s easier to find new things to watch on FAST services than on other platforms.

Nostalgia viewing (32%): Free streaming skews more toward library content, and for many consumers, that’s the appeal: 46% of FAST users say they most often watch older shows, whether titles they’ve never seen or favorites they’re rewatching.

The researchers also found that FAST is a bridge between traditional TV and creator content — especially YouTube.

YouTube — once a home for cat videos — now sits atop the Nielsen Gauge as the most-watched streaming platform on TV sets. FAST services may be how traditional media companies follow viewers into that new kind of TV experience.

Free streaming users are more likely to watch YouTube: 85% of FAST users are also regular viewers of YouTube, compared with 66% of those who don’t use free streaming.

They’re more engaged with creator content in general: Half (48%) of free-streaming users say that creator content is a “must-have” part of their entertainment diet, compared with only 32% of non-users.

Free-streaming viewers are younger: 38% of FAST users are under the age of 35, compared to just 25% of those who don’t use free streaming.

Creator content can attract new users to long-form TV platforms: 59% of FAST users and 36% of non-users say they would try a new free streaming service if it offered creator content, they follow alongside traditional shows and movies.

“FAST is becoming the bridge between traditional television and the creator economy, and platforms like Tubi are proving that the model works,” said Yuliyana Beleva, Senior Research Analyst at Hub. “Viewers want simplicity, which is why a unified platform where creator content lives alongside traditional long-form TV is the natural next step. Creator content is no longer just a social media story — it's shaping the next chapter of free streaming.”

These findings are from Hub’s 2026 “FAST: Full Throttle” study, based on a survey conducted in February 2026 among 3,009 U.S. TV consumers — 2,500 monthly FAST users and 509 non-users. All respondents were age 16–74, watched at least five hours of TV per week, and had high-speed internet at home. Five qualitative in-depth interviews with monthly FAST users were also conducted in April 2026 to provide behavioral context to the survey results. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—As streaming services struggle to gain market share in a consolidating industry and continue to face high levels of subscribers churning in and out of their services, a new survey from Hub Entertainment Research indicates that major streaming platforms still struggle to differentiate themselves, with viewers unable to clearly articulate what sets one service apart from another.

The finding come at a time when media consolidation is in the air, with Paramount slated to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery, Comcast spinning off its cable channels to Versant, and Hulu becoming more deeply woven into Disney+. To boost revenue and subs, streamers are also super-sizing their ad-supported services and enhancing sports content to grow viewership.

“The Evolution of Video Branding”—Hub Entertainment Research’s annual study tracking consumer awareness and perceptions of streaming brands—continues to so that while most respondents have heard of the top streamers, people aren't gaining clarity on what makes each service more special than another.

Since last year’s survey, the researchers reported there has been no movement on viewer's ability to confidently "explain what makes each brand different" from other brands—stalled at about two thirds of consumers for most top streaming brands.

The finding is important because the lack of features that clearly differentiate a service make it difficult to stand out from the pack and potentially force services to spend more on marketing and subscriber retention.

"As the industry faces more consolidation, streamers need to consider how their originals strategy can move beyond seasonal hits and lever up to more brand-defining distinctions that make them stand out from the crowd,” said Jason Platt Zolov, senior consultant for Hub and study author. “Being able to clearly own ‘quality, ‘value,’ or a specific genre of content in the eyes of consumers is critical to get them to say yes to a service, especially when they can't remember where to watch specific shows."

The study found that many platforms try to stand out through “Exclusive Originals,” but that approach falls short when original content has become table stakes across the entire streaming landscape. Consumers struggle to identify meaningful differences when it comes to value, usability or distinct content offerings.

More specifically, the survey found that among nearly all leading streaming services, "Exclusive Originals" is considered a top "differentiating" feature. Of note, the researchers said, is the fact that Peacock's February delivery of the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics helped distinguish the platform on sports content.

In this sea of "Exclusive originals," viewers are confused about where to find specific shows, the study found. Less than half of consumers could correctly pinpoint where they could watch signature shows like Landman (Paramount+), The Pitt (HBO Max), and High Potential (Hulu/Disney+).

In addition, barely 1 out of 10 consumers could correctly identify where to watch the recent, buzzy Heated Rivalry (on HBO Max).

Meanwhile, across this crowded streaming landscape, YouTube has continued to encroach on traditional streamer territory with its popular social/creator content and growing portfolio of long-form viewing.

While many viewers still consider YouTube primarily a social/creator platform, a similar amount of people consider YouTube more of a "TV network/streaming service." Younger viewers are more likely (32%) to consider YouTube more of a "TV/streaming service" than older viewers age 35+ (24%).

These findings are from Hub’s 2026 “Evolution of Video Branding” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,601 US consumers ages 16-74 with broadband access. Interviews were conducted in February 2026, exploring how TV and streaming brands impact viewer decision-making on what to watch. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website.

PORTSMOUTH, NH—A new survey from Hub indicates that younger viewers in particular are becoming more accepting of ad-supported streaming services.

According to the researcher’s semi-annual “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction-Wave 10” study, more viewers than ever are opting to save money by accepting ads, and fewer viewers are saying they cannot tolerate TV ads. These trends are even more pronounced among viewers under age 35.

However, the survey indicated that that tolerance only extends to ad-supported streaming services, where there are shorter and less frequent ad breaks, compared to the traditional heavily commercialized linear TV experience.

“Younger viewers are more likely to say, “I don’t mind watching TV with ads as much as I used to,’” the researcher said.

A better ad experience leads to a greater likelihood to accept ads to save on subscription costs, according to Hub. Over the past four years, as more services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ have introduced ad-supported tiers, the choice to accept ads to reduce cost has risen dramatically.

In December 2025, two-thirds of viewers would “rather save money” than avoid ads, up significantly from 2021.

Over the same four-year period, the number of viewers who “can’t tolerate ads” has gradually declined as well.

Hub says that its survey revealed that economic anxiety among viewers affects how they manage their TV subscriptions. Since Fall 2022, half or more of viewers have expressed they are “very concerned” about the state of the economy, and in this wave, it was 54%. At the same time, nearly half (46%) of viewers think streaming services are raising their prices more often than in the past.

Put those sentiments together, and many people are expecting to reduce spending on TV, particularly, those who are very concerned about the economy are more likely to reassess their spending on TV subscriptions, with two-thirds saying they are planning to cancel or reduce spending, Hub said, adding that not surprisingly, lower income viewers are also more likely to say they will be reducing their spending on TV.

Ad-supported subscription tiers offer an opportunity to retain budget-conscious viewers, Hub said. With so many viewers willing to reduce their spending on TV services, lower cost ad-supported subscriptions can keep many of them from canceling.

Viewers’ awareness of the major streamers’ ad-supported has continued a gradual increase over the past two years, and a majority now know that Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Peacock provide lower cost services with ads.

There has also been a corresponding increase over the past year and a half of viewers opting for a strictly ad-supported mix of subscriptions. As of December 2025, one-third avail themselves of ad-supported services only, significantly higher than in June 2025.

Part of that increase in ad-supported-only viewing is driven by tier switching. There has been a significant increase in the past eighteen months in viewers migrating between ad-free and ad-supported service tiers, with a third now saying they have done so.

Younger viewers age 18-34 are more likely to say they don’t mind TV ads as much as in the past, and that leads to a far greater likelihood to switch between ad-supported and ad-free tiers. Nearly half (45%) have done so, a considerable 19 points higher than those age 35+.

Not surprisingly, given the degree of economic uncertainty among viewers, and their desire to reduce spending, tier switching is mainly about saving money. Those sentiments are significantly more prevalent among viewers than they were in June 2024.

Although TV subscription costs are rising, and viewers are looking to cut costs, the ability to manage their array of services allows them to derive significant value from TV, Hub said, with two-thirds of all viewers agreeing that TV subscriptions deliver more “bang for the buck” than other entertainment options. Among those who habitually churn in and out of their subscriptions, the number is even higher (75%).

Viewers 18-34 and those with kids, who are the most likely to switch to lower cost subscriptions, are the most likely to see value in their TV services. Once again, this shows if viewers are comfortable with the price point of a subscription, they value it, Hub said.

U.S. TV viewers have been hit hard by inflation and worries about a potential recession over the past several years, during and post-pandemic. The continued uncertainty brought on in 2025 by new tariff policies and other disruptions still has consumers concerned, Hub said. TV subscriptions are not excluded from viewers’ consideration when they are trying to keep rising household costs in line.

But the strategic decision by many streamers to offer lower priced ad-supported subscriptions has turned out to be a smart hedge against cancellations. Many viewers, especially those who are younger or have kids are finding the ad experience is better than it used to be, and opting for ads to save money is a good deal.

“As we head into 2026, TV viewers continue to worry about the direction the economy is headed,” said Mark Loughney, Senior Consultant at Hub. “But for TV and video streaming providers, the news is better. By giving viewers the choice of accepting ads for cost savings, they are delivering great value compared to other entertainment. Viewers are figuring out for themselves the optimal mix of ad-supported and ad-free services that fit within their budgets. If the streamers continue to provide an ad experience that’s better than traditional TV, they will deliver good value and minimize churn.”

These findings are from Hub’s 2025 “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” report, based on a survey conducted among 3,000 US consumers age 14-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in November 2025 and explored consumers’ attitudes toward advertising, how it differs across video platforms, and how ad strategy affects viewer engagement. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—TV viewers continue to find it challenging to find relevant programs in the fragmented universe of streaming content, according to new findings from Hub Entertainment Research.

The findings, laid out in the researcher’s annual “Conquering Content” study, show that although the public values having an abundance of choices, streamers still have work to do in helping viewers find relevant programs.

While viewers continue to seek out new shows, the study found, the operative word is “new.” What is regarded as “new to me” doesn’t necessarily mean watching a newly released program.

The research found 60% of “new favorite shows” discovered by viewers over the past year were older shows that already have multiple seasons, giving viewers a deep well of episodes to watch. Sixty-five percent of viewers age 16-34 are even more likely to be watching a favorite show that first came out before 2025.

The study also revealed that new shows remain hard to find and streamer recommendations are falling short. Editorial and algorithmic recommendations coming from streamers are far less effective at helping viewers find new favorites than personal recommendations, trailers, clips or traditional ads or promos.

The research found 46% percent of viewers say streamer recommendations deliver shows they like, while 54% say streamer recommendations are simply promoting new shows, regardless of their viewing preferences.

Viewers who can’t find something to watch turn to YouTube, the survey found. Nearly eight out of 10 YouTube users say they frequently or sometimes turn to YouTube when they can’t find something else to watch. Among viewers 16-34, the percentage is 90%.

“With so many choices, matching viewers to programs that fit their taste and mood continues to be one of the toughest tasks for TV providers,” said Jason Platt Zolov, study author and senior consultant at Hub. “But viewers love having tons of options and lean into old favorites as a way to keep watching until a new hit breaks through. Streamers that deliver a balance of those old gems with well-timed exclusive new content will breed the strongest loyalties from viewers.”

Findings are based on a survey conducted among 1,600 U.S. consumers age 16-74. Interviews were completed in October.

An excerpt of the new study is available here.

A 13-year-old company that serves as a master control/disaster recovery hub for PBS stations says it has seen little financial impact from cuts to public broadcasting.

Executives from CentralCast Alliance, a company that got its initial investment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting back in 2012, recently discussed the current status of the not-for-profit organization with TV Tech.

Syracuse, N.Y.-based CentralCast is a self-sustaining organization that serves more than 100 streams of public broadcasting channels to U.S. viewers.

“CentralCast started with eight New York PBS stations as a file-sharing mechanism and then it expanded from there to a joint master control to create efficiencies,” said Shadi Sabra, CEO of CentralCast Alliance. “And CPB back then said, ‘OK, we're gonna help you guys,’ and they matched whatever the New York stations invested in capital.

“Fast-forward to 2025, it's a whole different beast right now,” he added.

Streamline Operations
In CentralCast’s first year of operations, total revenue was less than $1 million; today, that has increased to almost $5 million with the expectation it will surpass $6 million within the next two years, according to the company.

When Sabra and CentralCast Chief Technology Officer Steve White joined the company near the end of the last decade, they both had one goal in mind.

“The first thing that we did was to streamline operations—all of it, from workflows, day-to-day operations, to technology to solutions,” Sabra said.

“As a startup, we didn't really know what direction we should be going in, so we pretty much went in any direction that a customer asked us,” White added.

In 2019, the company made a “massive investment” with broadcast tech provider Evertz, which had been a tech partner with CentralCast since its 2012 launch. “We upgraded almost everything when it comes to play out and automation, all of it,” White said. “And with the way CentralCast is structured, every penny of revenue that comes in goes back to R&D.”

In 2022, CentralCast LLC merged with Digital Convergence Alliance, a competitor serving Florida public broadcasters, to form CentralCast Alliance, a single major nonprofit entity built and designed specifically for public media. Its goal was to house more than 150 streams serving more than 50% of the entire U.S. public broadcasting audience.

Sabra said CentralCast wants to move from its current centralized “one-to-many” concept to a more molecular design, as spelled out in a white paper the company released in 2024.

“We want to change the model from one to many to kind to a more of a molecular design, where it's kind of ‘many to many,’” Sabra said. “So instead of having one hub and spokes, we want to have a core that is many hubs and the spokes around it.”

Second Hub Planned
To help achieve this, CentralCast plans to open a second site in the Northeast and to use the cloud to operate more efficiently. The new hub will have the same capabilities as the one in Syracuse and be close by for staff sharing. It will be IP-ready for ATSC 3.0 and 4K content distribution and will be able to house all 354 stations that are part of the CentralCast hub.

“We also want to minimize our hardware footprint and take advantage of the cloud, but at the same time make sure that the cost of doing so doesn't really change our service costs,” Sabra added.

Those costs include current annual fees of $40,000 per managed channel and $15,000 for pass-through channels, which is basically the national feed, but with the ability to do their own branding and EAS.

The company recently launched its next-generation service, called “Cast,” which takes advantage of advances in IP-based distribution.

“It basically delivers all the streams from the hub to the spoke hub over the public internet,” Sabra said, adding that the company deployed it to all of its customers free of charge.

“So now we have multiple layers of defense—at the hub, we have all the redundancies that we need,” he said. “We have the fiber delivery, and then we have the cloud bridge delivery, and then if all of those fail, we have the local disaster recovery system that we deploy to the stations on site.”

“Cast is identical to our traditional solution, but, again, instead of no fiber, it's just an internet delivery,” Sabra added.

The new solution was deployed to their customers just prior to the 2025 NAB Show.

“We’ve essentially compressed an entire master control in nine rack units,” White said.

The company also restructured its fees. “Technically, a station can do all their master control and transmitter monitoring, all for $55,000 a year,” White said. “They don't have to worry about getting national content; they don't have to worry about integrating with the PBS interconnection system; they don't have to worry about all of those things.”

Planned for the Worst
Funding for public broadcasting has never been guaranteed and in the current political climate, the termination of funding for CPB earlier this year certainly raises questions about how PBS stations can operate more efficiently. Sabra believes CentralCast is in the best position to help.

“We didn't anticipate [the defunding] but we always planned for the worst, but hoped for the best,” Sabra said, adding that the development of Cast was a “direct response to the thought of federal funding going away.”

“And then for the current client list that we have, we started working with almost everyone about a year ago to figure out what is the best way to keep moving forward,” he said. “There are a few stations that changed their stream structure from managed to pass-through and some stations that sunsetted some of their subchannels.

“But all in all, knock on wood, we had a retention rate of 100% last year,” Sabra said, adding that he expects that to be the case for 2025 as well.

Sabra says the company is planning for westward expansion.

“We’ve located where the second site is going to be on the West Coast,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you that right now, but we are going to move automation into AWS with Evertz and the development for that has started. We're hoping that by late 2027, that will be online for us, which means that we won’t need automation at each site.”

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—A new survey from Hub Entertainment Research highlights the importance of sports content on streaming platforms, with viewers saying they care more about sports than anything else on TV.

But as streaming services bulk up on their sports programming, the Hub survey also found that fans are increasingly frustrated with the hassle of finding sports content and using multiple streaming platforms to follow teams and sports.

“These findings prove once again that sports have unrivaled power to attract new viewers to a platform, and keep them engaged over time,” said Jon Giegengack, founder and principal at Hub and one of the study authors. “But it’s critical for services to remember that with great power comes great responsibility: the splintering of rights is making sports content harder to find. The backlash will come bigger and faster from sports fans than those looking for scripted TV.”

The new data from Hub Entertainment Research’s “Evolution of Sports” survey reveals that sports content is unique, and fans view it with a higher level of urgency than other kinds of content. In fact, almost three-quarters (72%) of avid fans say sports are more important to them than anything else they watch on TV.

The data also shows that fans will sign up for new subscriptions in order to watch a sport they follow.

Hub asked respondents to imagine that a streaming platform bought the rights to a sport they follow, and they had to subscribe to a new service to watch. It found that 87% of avid fans said they were at least somewhat likely to sign up, and two-thirds (66%) said they were very likely.

Among avid fans 35 and younger, that likelihood is even higher: 92% said they were at least somewhat likely to sign up, while nearly 75% were very likely to subscribe. In addition, 42% said they’ve signed up for a new service specifically to watch sports (up from 38% a year ago).

But fans are getting frustrated with the fragmentation of sports rights, which is forcing them to use multiple platforms to watch games. Two-thirds (65%) of sports fans say it’s a hassle to use several services to watch games during a season.

In addition, half (53%) say it’s become harder to find the sports they want to watch compared to a year ago. Two-thirds (63%) also say having games on separate apps makes it hard to check on other games that are on at the same time.

These findings are from Hub’s “2025 Evolution of Sports: What's the Score? Wave 4” report, based on a survey conducted among 3,802 US sports fans ages 13-74. Interviews were conducted in June-July 2025. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—As linear TV channels battle streaming services for viewers, Hub’s annual “Decoding the Default” survey found that many viewers began watching TV using a SVOD services like Netflix and that a significant majority (57%) begin by using a streaming service.

The survey found that an SVOD service was the “first thing” they turn on for 40% of viewers, a much higher figure than the 32% who began by watching live TV from the pay TV provider, live streaming from a virtual MVPD, or live broadcast networks from an antenna. Another 17% start watching on a free streaming service (usually YouTube).

The survey also found that more viewers start watching on Netflix than any other streamer. But alternative platforms (especially YouTube) are beginning to cut into that lead.

“This year’s findings underscore how crowded and competitive the TV ecosystem has become,” said Jon Giegengack, founder and principal at Hub and one of the study authors. “Netflix is the dominant streaming platform and now offers something for everyone: scripted and unscripted TV, original movies, live events and now sports. But this opens an opportunity for the legion of smaller, more specialized services that focus on super-serving specific audiences.”

Almost 80% of younger viewers default to streaming sources, the researchers reported, with 56% of viewers under 35 defaulting to a paid streaming service. Another 22% start watching on a free streaming platform. Only 15% default to watching live TV.

Netflix dominates other streaming platforms but the competition is getting tighter, the survey found.

The survey found that a fifth (19%) of respondents say that Netflix is their starting point for TV – almost twice as many as default to YouTube (11%), and 4x the next highest paid streaming service (Hulu, at 5%). But the numbers also show the collective investment in competing streamers is eroding Netflix’s lead.

In aggregate, more viewers (21%) said their default was a paid SVOD service *other* than Netflix. The percent of viewers who say that Netflix is their default has fallen from 23% in 2020 to 19% in the most recent survey.

More young viewers start watching on YouTube than on live TV. according to the study. More than one quarter (26%) of viewers under 35 start watching on Netflix, and a fifth (18%) start with content on YouTube.

Only 15% say their default source is live TV (one third the rate of viewers 35 and up).

The data on default viewing preferences, the researchers stressed, is important given the high levels of churn facing the streaming industry. Their data shows that in the battle against churn, earning the title of “TV default” is a potent weapon.

In the survey, respondents saw a list of all the services they subscribe to or use. Hub asked “if you had to get rid of all these services except one, which would you keep?” Users who said a given service was their default were far more likely to keep it, compared to users of that service in general – for some brands, as much as 5x to 6x more likely.

“The data is clear: being a viewer’s default dramatically increases the likelihood they’ll keep you,” said Christina Pisano, consultant at Hub and one of the study authors. “First-stop status drives more sessions, more time spent, and higher retention. That’s why the battle for the TV home base is the most important fight in today’s entertainment landscape.”

These findings are from Hub’s 2025 “Decoding the Default” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,600 US consumers with broadband, age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in August 2025 and explored consumers’ default options for viewing sources and how those have changed over time. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—New data shows that U.S. homes now own an average of two smart TVs, with Samsung and LG dominating the market but Roku and FireTV continue to gain market share, according to Hub Entertainment Researcher.

The Hub Entertainment Research’s annual "Evolution of the TV Set" study found that Samsung and LG continue to be market leaders, with Vizio and Sony a strong second tier. But among "most-used TV sets," Roku usage doubled to 8% and FireTVs increased to 5%, significant growth since 2024.

The study also highlighted the importance of new features, particularly in the area of content discovery, as a way for set-makers to gain market share.

"Without a single TV operating system dominating the market, each has the opportunity to better promote streaming services and AI-viewing enhancements to make things easier for viewers," says Jason Platt Zolov, senior consultant at Hub. "The challenge of finding a good show to watch is not just about too many services to choose from; it’s about finding a TV operating system that simplifies those choices in a way that works.”

The study also found that more than ever TVs are for more than just TV viewing. More than a third of users say they keep their TVs on whether or not they are sitting in front of it. Non-TV features like music-listening (done by nearly half of users) and smart device connectivity like video calls and doorbell monitoring continue to be big growth opportunities for users.

The study also highlighted the fact that app-centric TV screens are the window to how people find content.

The growing importance of the TV operating system (OS) interface is stronger than ever, with most viewers first seeing home screen apps when they turn on their TVs. Even for people who still subscribe to cable, this app-centric world is now the norm, the researchers stressed.

The study also focused on content discovery and AI-driven search recommendations. While universal search features to find content across services have generally fallen short for users, hampered by usability challenges, the study found that new AI driven recommendations offer hope to help solve for content discovery, as more than half of current AI users are interested in AI-powered TV enhancements to help them find and watch the shows they love.

These findings are from Hub’s 2025 “Evolution of TV Set” report, based on a survey of 2,528 US consumers age 16-74. Interviews were completed in May 2025. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Entertainment & Tech Tracker” syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—New streaming bundles launched over the past year by both distributors and streamers are generating strong consumer interest in 2025, according to a new survey from Hub Entertainment Research.

These bundles feature cable TV packages that include Disney+ and Max, and opportunities to buy competing streaming services directly in new bundles (e.g. Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle w/ ads for $16.99).

As consumers face inflationary pressures, Hub Entertainment Research’s annual “The Best Bundle” study highlights the attractiveness of these new bundles, which give cash-conscious consumers a way to maximize their entertainment spend.

Illustrating the fact that consumers are working to control their spending, is the study’s finding that consumers paying for three or more major streaming services declined in 2025. Only 52% of consumers report having 3 of the “Big 7” SVODs (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Peacock & Paramount+) services in 2025, declining from 61% last year.

With each service offering an abundance of content, and free services like YouTube and Tubi offering myriad additional content, appetite for paying is waning, the researchers reported.

"The promise of entertainment bundles is nothing new," says Jason Platt Zolov, senior consultant at Hub. "Attractive packaging and pricing of services has always provided more value and simplicity for consumers - and recent efforts at places like Spectrum to provide these attractive bundles are making headway. We can certainly expect more subscriber growth and retention in 2025 as a result of these bundling efforts."

"Package deals" were among the top drivers of sign-ups in 2024 and have become more important than exclusive titles or specific shows, the study found.

Consumers signing up for specific services have historically been motivated by wanting to watch a specific show. This year, "package deals" are a top reason for sign-ups to Prime, Hulu (bundled now with Disney+), and Max, the survey found.

These bundles also have the upside of making TV simpler, the researchers noted.

Many consumers feel overwhelmed trying to navigate all their services. So, providers that centralize the task of managing them have a big advantage – even if they don’t lower the cost of those subscriptions.

Nearly three quarters of those surveyed said a service that lets them manage and pay for multiple subscriptions in one place was appealing, and 24% said they’d sign up.

In another notable finding, the study also found that consumers who use aggregators pay for more services overall.

Aggregators like Amazon (with Amazon Prime Video Channels) and Roku (with the Roku Channel store) let consumers buy multiple streaming services in one place. These efforts to sell consumers on the added value of bundling plays out clearly: consumers who bundle services this way subscribe to almost 3 more services than consumers who pay for subscriptions directly.

“Bundles and aggregation are the most important way that streaming platforms can compete with Netflix or YouTube,” concluded Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub. “But it’s critical to remember that the appeal of bundling goes beyond price. The biggest reason people like using aggregators like Amazon Channels is that they can discover and watch content from multiple services, all in one place.”

These findings are from Hub’s 2025 “The Best Bundle” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,600 US consumers ages 16-74 with broadband access. Interviews were conducted in April 2025. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website, part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Social video on platforms like YouTube or TikTok continues to plays an outsize role in the lives of young viewers, at the expense of traditional premium, according to Hub Entertainment Research’s annual Video Redefined survey.

The survey found that young people spend more time watching “non-premium” online video than they do regular TV shows, consumers aged 13-24 estimate that 21% of all their entertainment screen time goes to non-premium video, compared to just 16% spent on traditional TV shows. In contrast, consumers age 35+ spend 39% of their screen time on TV shows – more than twice as much as they spend on online videos (14%).

“While consumers embrace social video as essential entertainment, many are aware that it may be at the expense of watching longer form TV and movies,” said Jason Platt Zolov, senior consultant at Hub and one of the study authors. “Studios have an opportunity to continue to lean into short-form to build connections with audiences - but bringing consumers back to longer-form content can potentially deepen engagement with brands in meaningful ways.”

“These findings underscore why YouTube became the first streaming platform to crack 10% share of total viewing on Nielsen’s Gauge,” added Jon Giegengack, Hub’s founder and co-author of the study. “The next generation of TV consumers recognize the difference between ‘premium’ and ‘non-premium’ content. They just don’t see premium as inherently ‘better.’ Either one is a perfectly legitimate way to spend the time you have available to watch TV.”

The survey indicated that short-form videos aren’t just filler content – about 60% of all viewers under age 35 say that short videos are just as much fun as “premium” TV. And while phones are still the most common screen for short-form video, respondents said that nearly a quarter of those videos are watched on a TV set.

Short-form videos take disposable time away from TV – but they also serve as a gateway for young people to discover longer content, the Hub study found. More than half (57%) of viewers 13-24 say they spend less time watching “regular TV” because of the time they spend watching services like YouTube and TikTok.

Yet, the survey also reported that young people still watch TV and that the relationship between social video and TV can be complementary. More than 60% of them say they often watch shows or movies that they discovered for the first time via clips on social platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In contrast, only 35% of viewers over age 35 discovered shows this way, making social video a powerful tool for engaging critical young audiences.

The growing usage of social video has also reached the point where many viewers are uncomfortable with the amount of time they spend on short-form video, the researchers reported. Close to half of those under 35 feel they spend too much time on platforms like TikTok or Instagram and might better spend their time with TV and movies. And even though viewers age 35+ spend less time with this content, a quarter of them (26%) feel the same way.

These findings are from Hub’s 2024 “Video Redefined” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,919 US consumers ages 13-47 with broadband access. Interviews were conducted in December 2024 and explored how consumer consumption of social video co-exists with viewing of traditional long-form TV and movies. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—With a greater number of lower-cost ad-supported programming sources available, TV viewers’ resistance to ads continues to wane, according to a new report from Hub Research.

Hub’s semiannual “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” survey indicates most consumers prefer to watch TV ads in exchange for lower subscription costs, particularly those concerned about the economy and potential inflation.

This marks a significant turnabout in viewers’ acceptance of TV ads; in the dawn of the streaming age, low-cost monthly subscriptions for ad-free viewing were all the rage. As streaming services went global, production and distribution costs ramped up, resulting in increased subscription rates, which led to cancellations and lower uptake. Streaming companies, led by Netflix, began offering ad-supported subscription tiers in recent years to attract and retain subscribers, with others soon following suit.

Any doubts about the success of such tiers were quickly settled as Netflix reported recently that 70 million subscribers worldwide signed up for ad-supported subscriptions just two years after launch.

So it’s not surprising Hub reported that a full two-thirds of viewers who responded to its survey now say they would prefer to watch content with ads if it brings down the cost of a TV subscription. Notably, there has been a growing preference for ads over the past three years among people who say they cannot tolerate ads. As viewers add more TV services, and those services increase prices, lower-cost alternatives are persuading consumers who dislike ads to consider ad-supported content, Hub said.

With many free, ad-supported streaming TV platforms (FASTs) and AVODs now offering live-TV options, especially in news and sports, consumers are finding more options for live viewing. Although streaming services are still mainly used for on-demand viewing, one third of viewers’ time is spent with live streaming.

Since a great deal of live TV content is formatted for commercial breaks, two-thirds of viewers find advertising more tolerable than in on-demand programming. The positive sentiment toward live TV ad breaks is even more prevalent among younger viewers.

Ad breaks in live TV give many viewers a welcome break in the programming. For live sports in particular, ads are seen as part of the regular rhythm of the action. The positive reaction to ads in live TV subsequently leads to greater attention to the ad breaks, compared to on-demand programming.

According to Hub, when asked a series of questions about characteristics of ads that would garner more of their attention, viewers were most likely to cite rewards for viewing. The next three most-cited drivers of attention were all associated with fewer ads, though: shorter ad breaks, shorter ad length and a single ad per break.

Although many streaming services provide countdown clocks or ad counters, fewer viewers agreed those features earned more of their attention during ad breaks.

Among the lowest-ranked ad break features were those requiring viewer participation: games, interactive ads, or product links. Pause ads, another common practice among streaming services, also scored low on attracting viewers’ attention.

As more TV services have introduced ad-supported offerings, viewers are acclimating to that reality and embracing it, Hub said. The number of consumers who say they are intolerant of TV advertising continues to decline. What is particularly noteworthy is the viewers who say they cannot tolerate ads are the ones who are coming around to accepting ads for lower subscription costs, according to the researcher.

“Over the past three years, it’s clear most viewers prefer watching ads if they can save on TV subscriptions. More recently, we’re seeing that even the most ad-intolerant consumers are deciding the trade-off of watching ads for lower costs is worthwhile,” said Mark Loughney, Hub Research Senior Consultant. “There is plenty of good news here for streaming services and their advertisers. Most consumers think the amount of advertising is reasonable, especially in live viewing. As streamers add more live content, especially sports, advertisers will have greater opportunities to reach more viewers who are paying full attention to their messages.”

These findings are from Hub’s 2024 ”TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” report, based on a survey conducted among 3,000 U.S. consumers age 14-74 who watch at least one hour of TV per week.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Despite cutbacks in production as studios and media owners struggle to improve their finances, new data from Hub Research’s annual “Conquering Content” study suggests that it is still “peak TV” for major streaming services.

The Hub data shows that growth in licensed content produced during the “peak TV” years is providing viewers with an embarrassment of riches and a steady stream of new things to watch even though studios have cut back on their production slates.

That dynamic also boosted consumer satisfaction with the shows they are watching to levels higher than 2022 or 2020.

Even so, the study found viewers are noticing that fewer originals are being produced. The number of respondents who said those streaming services produce more originals than others declined in 2024. This is the first time that number has fallen off in the past few years.

At the same time, viewers are noticing that there are more places to find shows than ever before. Consumers are also seeing how recent expanded studio content-licensing deals have resulted in more ways to watch. More than half of respondents (60%) agreed more shows are available in places that differ from where they originally aired—a direct result of studios seeking more revenue by licensing their shows to other streamers and new FAST services.

Plus, viewers are more likely to say their new favorite shows are older shows that came out a while ago. An increasing majority (60%) say that the new favorite show they recently discovered is actually an older show that has been on for several seasons, rather than a new show that just came out in 2024.

As a result, viewers are happier than ever with what they are watching. In fact, nearly 8 out of 10 viewers (79%) said more of their TV time is spent watching TV shows they really like, up significantly from the COVID-19 days of 2020.

“More than ever, viewers are embracing favorite original shows that they may not have seen when they first came out,” Jason Platt Zolov, senior consultant for Hub, said. “As studios continue to make these shows more broadly accessible, consumers will benefit as long as the streamers can help viewers find those shows with better recommendations and discovery tools."

These findings are from Hub’s 2024 “Conquering Content” report, based on a survey of 1,602 U.S. consumers with broadband, age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in October and explored consumers’ favorite shows and how they find and discover that content. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website.

This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

Since 2013, Hub Entertainment Research has measured and tracked changes in the ways consumers discover, choose and consume entertainment content. The company works with the networks, pay TV operators, streaming providers, and studios. For more information, visit its website.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—A new survey indicates that cable networks and broadcasters are losing the battle for being top of mind with viewers as the default destination for viewing TV, with nearly half of all viewers (46%) saying that their first stop when they start watching TV is with an app from one of the top five SVOD streaming services.

Hub Entertainment Research's latest "Decoding the Default" study found that for the first time in five years of tracking, the combined "Big 5" SVODs (Netflix, Prime Video Disney+, Hulu, and Max) are more likely to be the "first stop" for 46% of viewers versus 38% starting with live TV via cable, vMVPD or antenna.

This is a monumental shift in viewing habits that has worrying implications for traditional TV. In 2018 only 30% started viewing with one of the top five SVOD services versus 62% for live TV. In a landscape of endless viewing choices, the services that viewers turn to first are the ones that consumers engage with most and are least likely to cancel, the researchers said.

The survey also found that Netflix is the top SVOD default, on par with cable TV as a "first stop" to watch. Around one quarter of viewers (26%) say that Netflix is the first place they turn to when they want to watch something, on par with the 26% of viewers who say traditional cable (excluding vMVPD and antenna) is their default source.

The research also found that different kinds of content play a key role in anchoring viewers to SVODs, live TV and FAST services.

About 42% of viewers who default to a major SVOD say that "favorite shows" connect them to that service. In contrast, live programming (sports, news) continues to make traditional cable a default source, while those who default to a free ad-supported (FAST) service say that "variety" is the big draw.

While sports rights are migrating to streamers, the current hold-up of Venu sports and other challenges in finding sports content online will continue to challenge viewers juggling both traditional cable and online options.

In another worrying finding for pay TV, broadcasters and linear TV the researchers reported that loyalty to SVODs is notably stronger compared to traditional MVPD sources. Default usage helps stickiness, but only so much: when viewers are asked to choose a service to drop, live TV from MVPD does not hold up as well as streaming services. Even among devoted cable viewers who say it is their "first choice" for viewing, they are less loyal to that service (24% say they will drop), compared to SVOD "default" users (3%-13%).

"The first stop people turn to watch will always be the one that has the highest loyalty, and favorite shows can deepen those loyalties across streamers," said Jason Platt Zolov, Senior Consultant for Hub. “While football and the election may help keep cable TV viewers watching this fall, we can expect a quicker abandonment of cable as live sports becomes more easily available online."

These findings are from Hub’s 2024 “Decoding the Default” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,600 US consumers with broadband, age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in August 2024 and explored consumers’ default options for viewing sources and how those have changed over time. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—As linear TV viewing continues to decline a new survey from Hub highlights just how much smart TVs are impacting the way viewers are accessing content and finding something to watch. Unlike the past, when viewers flipped through TV channels, the new Hub “Evolution of the TV Set” study indicates that smart TV owners embrace the app-centric viewing environments that deliver more than just TV entertainment. 

About half of those surveyed said that they started their TV viewing experience by looking at TV apps and opening them. 

"You can't underestimate the power of what people see first when they turn on the TV," says Jason Platt Zolov, senior consultant at Hub. "Smart TVs are clearly becoming home technology hubs, giving programmers and advertisers more opportunity to partner with TV manufacturers in compelling ways that will only deepen engagement with viewers.”

Other key findings include the fact that the share of TV sets used to stream continues to grow.

In 2024, 60% of respondents “most-used” TV sets are connected to a streaming platform – up by half since 2020.  At the same time, the share of primary TVs connected to cable continues to fall (38% this year, down from 52% in 2020.)

The survey also found that smart TV operating systems now drive more than half of viewing sessions. Hub reported that smart TV operating systems are are also exerting more and more influence over what people watch, with 38% percent say the first thing they see when they turn on their TV is the apps installed on the home screen of their smart TV. Another 27% say they see the apps on a home screen of an external media player, (like a Roku player or Apple TV box). Only 19% see a show in progress from a cable company. The discovery process is becoming one driven by apps and smart TV operating systems, the researchers said. 

 The study also stressed that it is not just cable that is being disintermediated: the smart TV OS is also taking discovery duties away from individual apps. While half (50%) of viewers say they first typically open a specific app (like Netflix) to find something to watch, the other half use capabilities built into the smart TV itself. About one quarter (26%) choose from shows highlighted on their smart TV home screen; another 24% use the universal search function built into their smart TV to search for shows across all their services.

This makes the home screen value precious – for both the apps that reside there and how well TV operating systems can deliver on quality universal search across apps, the study reported. 

More specifically, smart TVs strongly influence the apps being used to discover shows. In many cases smart TVs dictate which apps consumers decide to watch in the first place – especially during the setup process. Half (51%) of respondents say that they installed a new TV app recommended by their smart TV operating system when they set up their TV for the first time. And nearly half (47%) said that once their TV was set up, they rarely or never add more apps

This trend is likely to accelerate in the future:  79% say that when buying a new TV, they prefer to buy one with the same operating system as their existing set, only further entrenching that OS in which shows and apps they find out about and ultimately use, the researchers reported. 

 These findings are from Hub’s “Evolution of the TV Set 2024” report, based on a survey conducted among 2,517 US consumers ages 16-74. Interviews were conducted in May 2024 and cover consumer ownership of, and attitudes towards, TV sets and TV-related technologies.  A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of Hub’s Entertainment + Technology Tracker syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—As streaming companies continue to ramp up prices, a new study from Hub Entertainment Research addresses an increasingly central issue: How much are consumers willing to pay for video services and what kinds of content might convince cost-conscious consumers to spend a little more money? With so many platforms and abundance of content from which to choose, what’s worth paying for? 

One key takeaway of Hub's annual Monetization of Video study is that consumers are already running up against the limits of what they are willing to spend and that they are already feeling the bite of inflation. Even so, the survey found that some features and content may drive additional spend from consumers. 

 The study found that consumers feel maxed out on the cost of TV. The average respondent estimates they are spending $82 a month on TV content, very close to what they say is the maximum they’d be willing to pay ($87).

That indicates that consumers have already cut back from their 2023 monthly spending of $85 a month.  

But the survey also found that the more expensive ad-free services are stickier than cheaper (or free) ad-supported ones.

Despite the plateau in overall spend, people paying extra for ad-free services consider them more valuable and are more loyal.  Cheaper ad-supported and FAST services like Pluto and Tubi have helped to fill the gaps for people tapped out on spending, but loyalties to those services may not be as strong. In comparison, subscribers to ad-free services are significantly more likely to say they’ll still be using that service a year from now.

In addition, the survey found that while price matters, consumers are willing to pay for the right features and content.

Respondents prioritized 16 features based on how much value each adds to a streaming or TV service. Not surprisingly, features related to price were among the highest scoring. The survey found that a lower price than other services with similar content added the most value. A choice between ad-free or a less expensive ad-supported tier also scored highly.

But most of the other top items had to do with content: access to recent theatrical movies, original shows, and access to all seasons and episodes of each show all make a platform more valuable.  And in aggregate, those content attributes matter more than just a low price.

“These results are encouraging for streamers under pressure to maximize profits,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub. “Consumers are feeling the pinch of inflation. But even so, key content like theatrical movies and exclusive originals are as important as cost – great news for platforms that need to raise prices, not lower them.”

Hub’s annual “Monetization of Video” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,600 US TV consumers with broadband, age 16-74. Interviews were completed in early June 2024.  A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

Since 2013, Hub Entertainment Research has measured and tracked how technology changes the ways consumers discover, choose and consume entertainment content. We work with the largest networks, pay TV operators, streaming providers, and studios. For more information, visit their website and subscribe to their newsletter at hubintel.substack.com. 

Household budget limitations, the rising price of streaming subscriptions and complexity are contributing to consumers tapping the brakes on growing their lineup of streaming video entertainment, according to the latest research from Hub Entertainment Research.

The Hub’s semi-annual “Battle Royale, revealed 88% of consumers say streaming video subscription services are raising their prices more often in the past, while 77% point to their budget as the main reason they have chosen the number of entertainment sources they consume.

Even if price and budget restrictions were removed from the equation, the sheer volume of content available is limiting how many services people believe they need. The survey from 81% strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that there is a limit to the number of entertainment sources they need, even if were possible to afford them all. 

The survey also found nearly three out of four consumers said it is too hard to keep track of shows what shows are available and where to watch them.

Fifty-nine percent said they would be willing to pay for a “one-stop shop” app that would allow them to manage, use and pay for all of their subscriptions in one place—even if it meant an additional charge above the cost of their subscriptions, the researcher found.

“Viewers are excited about the volume of content to choose from. Their biggest problem now is figuring out how to use it all,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub. “Companies who can make entertainment simpler (through things like bundling or universal search) will attract more subscribers. But even more importantly they’ll be offering a service for which many are willing to pay extra—a huge win for companies seeking to make streaming profitable.”

The findings are based on a survey of 2,972 consumers conducted in October.

More information is available on the company’s website.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Live TV continues to be the most common default source for TV viewers, but its once commanding lead over SVODs has shrunk dramatically over the past five years, according to Hub’s annual “Decoding The Default” survey. 

The issue of where consumers launch their TV services from is important because viewers are most loyal to the sources they go to first. Live TV has always been the most popular starting point, but its share has dropped in recent years to a 46% share. In contrast SVODs and smart TV apps have shown rapid gains, with the top 5 SVOD apps now being the starting point for 40% of consumers and all other SVOD apps accounting for 5%. 

That indicates SVOD is only one percentage share point behind live TV, the Hub study found. 

 The Hub researchers also noted that the increasing availability of live content on online platforms is likely helping live TV retain its top spot as a default source. That's because online sources have widened their lead over set-top boxes as a first stop.  Online nearly doubles set-top boxes as a default source of TV viewing. Plus, the gap has increased from only 13 points two years ago to 28 points in 2013.

In just the past two years, smart TV apps have caught up with set-top boxes as viewers’ starting point. In 2021, almost twice as many viewers started to watch through a set-top box as chose a built-in smart TV app. Currently, however, those two sources are on par as the default, the researchers said, adding that it is noteworthy that viewers are sticking with their connected devices, which have shown no decline as a home base over the past two years.

The Hub study also found that live sports and news are critical in the decision to use MVPDs and vMVPDs as default viewing sources.

The study also found that consumers are considerably more loyal to their default TV sources: A majority of those who default to a Big 5 SVOD or live TV on an MVPD say it is the provider they would retain if they could keep only one, the study found. 

“In order for providers to retain customers in the competitive streaming video marketplace, it’s critical to be a first choice for viewing,” said Mark Loughney, senior consultant to Hub. “As viewers are increasingly defaulting to online video sources and relying on apps as a starting point, it’s essential to be among those that are installed on smart TV menus.”

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Amid growing signs that the era of “peak TV” may be coming to an end, a new survey from Hub indicates that many consumers are now either at or near their maximum number of TV sources, and are not actively looking to spend more money on video entertainment.

The Hub’s annual “Monetization of Video” survey found that nearly half (43%) of those surveyed are already at what they claim is the maximum number of services they want, which is an average of seven TV sources. Among the one third of viewers who have not yet reached their limit, the survey found that seven services is also the optimal number of services. 

“The video ecosystem is clearly at an inflection point. Gone are the days when providers could reliably count on revenue growth from new subscribers,” said Mark Loughney, senior consultant to Hub. “This leads to a quandary: how to deliver the volume of content necessary to keep subscribers loyal, while at the same time controlling production costs. Reconciling this dilemma will be the key to long term success in the video marketplace.”

The good news for providers is consumers are still spending more: Nearly half of consumers (44%) say they are spending more on TV than a year ago, and that’s up from 34% who said the same in 2020. This is despite the fact their actual average spend of $85 per month is 25% more than what they consider “reasonable” for video services, the Hub survey found. 

The bad news is the highest spenders are the most likely to churn: The more subscriptions a household has, the more likely they are to cancel a new subscription within 6 months of acquiring it. The majority of those with 4 or more subscriptions say they canceled a new service within six months.

Another key finding is that consumers are looking for value: While low price is the strongest driver of the value of a particular video service, it is not the only thing consumers include when considering value. They also want price stability, and for a service to have a large library of content, the researchers said. 

The survey also found that bundling SVODs with MVPD subscriptions provides value: Among the substantial segment of consumers who do not have an MVPD subscription, two thirds say integrating SVODs into an MVPD (i.e.. traditional pay TV) set-top-box would make a Pay TV service more valuable to them (up from 59% last year). In an environment characterized by subscription churn, such bundles could serve to reduce cancellations.

These findings are from Hub’s 2023 “Monetization of Video” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,602 US consumers with broadband, age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in June 2023 and explored consumers’ attitudes toward what they pay for TV services, and the value delivered by providers.  A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—New research from Hub finds that consumers are worrying as much about the complexity of the streaming experience as they are about the cost of subscriptions; only half of the services they use are considered "must have."  

While many consumers continue to complain about cost (82% of all respondents say budget is a main factor limiting their subscriptions), just as many  (82%) say there’s a limit to how many platforms they can use, even if they could afford to have them all, indicating that consumers have more sources of entertainment than they can easily use and are eager for solutions that allow them to simplify, the report found. 

“This research underscores the threat churn represents to entertainment providers”, said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub and one of the study authors.  “Consumers are using many sources, but only half of them are considered essential: the others are at risk of being cut.  But the data also show the opportunity for companies that can simplify the user experience.  Complexity is as big an impediment as cost – and for companies trying to maximize their bottom line, creating a simpler experience should be more palatable than cutting their price.”   

The findings from the latest wave of Hub’s “Battle Royale” study also found that “premium” video represents only about half of consumers’ total entertainment ecosystem and that formats like gaming and social media are taking a greater share of disposable time and money.

More specifically, the survey found that the average household uses roughly the same number of premium video sources (6.1) and non-video (6.7). And in key segments, like young people or households with kids, use significantly more non-video than video sources of entertainment.

The Hub research also found that only about half of entertainment sources are considered “must haves” (“something my household can’t do without”). Across categories - video, audio, gaming, social media, podcasts, reading, etc. – the average respondent said their household uses 12.7 different sources (the same as in 2022).  Younger consumers use more (15.8) and households with kids use the most (16.3), the Hub researchers reported. 

But regardless of segment, consumers only consider about half their sources to be “must haves” (“something my household can’t do without”).  All the others are classified as “nice to have” – something they might miss if it were gone, but not essential.  The 50-50 ratio of “must haves” vs. “nice to haves” is consistent across segments, the researchers wrote. 

These findings are from Hub’s 2023 “Battle Royale - Wave 3” report, based on a survey conducted among 3,000 US entertainment decision-makers with broadband, age 18-74. Interviews were conducted in March 2023 and explored consumer attitudes towards bundling subscription services.  

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—In a development that is likely to prompt renewed debate over the saturation of streaming services and video options, Hub’s annual “Best Bundle” survey shows that for the first time in five years, viewers dialed down how many video services they “stacked” in 2023. 

Consumers reported using fewer paid TV services while emerging free services saw little change, according to the HUB.

The big question is whether this is a short-term or long-term trend, the researchers said. 

After showing strong growth – doubling between 2019 and 2022, from 3.7 to 7.4 – the average number of TV sources used by viewers has dropped in 2023 to 6.4. This decrease from 7.4 to 6.4 represents a relative decline of 14%. Although the causes for the drop are varied, it is likely inflation and perceptions about the economy are the primary reasons, the researcher said. 

The data also showed declines in both traditional and streaming subscriptions. Comparisons with 2022 data show fewer viewers report having a streaming subscription (from “subscription video-on-demand” services, or SVODs) this year, with levels declining from 89% to 82%. Traditional subscription TV (from “multichannel video programming distributors”, or MVPDs) dropped from 62% of viewers to 55%. vMVPDs (streaming-only MVPDs, or “virtual MVPDs”) showed no statistically significant change.

Reinforcing what the researchers are calling a trend towards “de-stacking” is the finding that a smaller share viewers report currently having subscriptions to three or more of the “Big 5” SVODs (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Max, or Disney+). In 2022, half (50%) reported 3 or more subscriptions; in 2023, this has dropped to 42%.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—As the streaming wars have heated up, streaming services have spent increasingly large amounts of money trying to establish their brands with consumers, going so far as to make some big media buys at this year’s Super Bowl.

Yet despite all the marketing, the Hub’s annual “Evolution of Video Branding” survey reveals viewers often have a hard time differentiating the brands of streaming services, and turn to their knowledge of specific series and creative brands to help make viewing decisions.

“Viewers have not lacked in choice of services and content over the past few years. But this can be a two-edged sword for content providers, as the immense volume just makes it hard for viewers to remember what is different about each service,” said David Tice, senior consultant to Hub and co-author of the study. “But at the end of the day, content is king, and unique content will drive viewers even if the service itself isn’t unique to consumers.”

The confusion about individual streaming brands actually stand for is particularly problematic in an increasingly crowded streaming landscape where services have to stand out from the pack to attract viewers and subscribers. 

The Hub researchers noted that brand awareness and brand familiarity are two very different things. Viewed from the lens of brand awareness, the vast sums expended on marketing during the streaming wars have been effective: all the major platforms have brand awareness above 90 percent.   

But brand understanding is another matter: far fewer consumers feel confident that they could explain to someone else what each platform does best, or how it’s different from the others.  

This is the case even for companies that are masters at branding, like Apple: almost all respondents are aware of Apple TV+, but fewer than half feel they understand the value proposition.  

That means consumers are choosing between a well-known set of brands, without a clear understanding of what differentiates them, the researchers said. 

Lacking a clear understanding of the difference between platforms, consumers turn to other guideposts, such as program brands, the researchers noted. The survey found that 41% of viewers say they have signed up for a platform just to watch one specific show (up from 35% to years ago). This is even more pronounced among desirable audiences like young people:  57% of those aged 16 to 34 have signed up to watch one particular show.

When lost in a sea of content, viewers look for what’s familiar: New shows based on familiar characters or histories have a leg up in the discovery process, the researchers said, nothing that 40% of all respondents said they would be more likely to watch a new show based on the Marvel universe (the highest of the 10 brands we tested.)  

But the next three highest were broadcast TV procedurals that have already had successful spinoffs.

Another example is the Yellowstone franchise (shows set in the world of “Yellowstone” or marketed as coming from the same creator), the study explained. 

Among the respondents who had ever watched Yellowstone, 70% also watched at least one of Sheridan’s other shows (1883, 1923, Tulsa King, or Mayor of Kingstown).

Perhaps most notably, viewers had to put in some effort to watch these:  Yellowstone is only on Paramount cable network and on Peacock, while the other shows are only available on Paramount+.

These findings are from Hub’s 2023 “Evolution of Video Branding” report, based on a survey conducted among 2,400 US consumers with broadband, age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in February 2023 and explored attitudes towards brands associated with traditional TV service as well as those providing streaming TV service.  A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

New research continues to highlight a generational shift in the importance of the TV screen and traditional TV viewing among younger viewers aged 13 to 24, the so-called Gen Z cohort. 

New TV research from Hub finds that the focus on the “streaming wars” overlooks a more existential change in entertainment ecosystem, with younger consumers 13-24 spending only 17% of their time viewing TV shows while viewers 35+ say they spend more time with TV than any other screen and that they spend about 43% of their total screen time watching TV.  

Among viewers 35+, only about a fifth of their time goes to gaming or “non-premium” online video on platforms like YouTube or TikTok. Among those aged 13-24 this proportion is inverted:  they estimate less than a fifth of their screen time (17%) is spent on TV shows. They spend more than twice that on gaming and non-premium video combined, a new Hub survey found. 

“The ‘streaming wars’ monopolize the spotlight when it comes to predicting the fortunes of media companies in the future,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub.  “But this obscures an even more important shift:  the next generation of TV consumers are just less engaged with traditional TV itself. Gaming and social video are the focus of their entertainment lifestyles. There’s no reason to assume they’ll grow out of these habits as they age. Media organizations need to adapt to these changes in order to meet tomorrow’s viewers on the devices and platforms where they will spend most of their time.”

The report doesn’t address how much of this shift may reflect changes in lifestyles as consumers age. Younger viewers may be less likely to own and have control over TV sets and that their viewing habits may change as they grow older, establish families, have kids and own TV sets that become the center of family viewing habits. 

The researchers also noted that for decades, TV has been the center of the entertainment ecosystem.  But for Gen Z consumers, it’s just one of several ways they spend their time.

While the TV screen is the home base for premium video content, Gen Z allocate as much time or more to content on other devices, the Hub survey found. 

This disparity in content between the youngest consumers and their older counterparts is mirrored in the screens they use.  Both groups allocate about a fifth of their total screen time to content on a smart TV.  But otherwise, device usage of the two groups is very different.

Viewers age 35+ estimate they spend about a third of their total screen time watching content through a pay TV set top box and only 12% to entertainment on a phone. Those age 13-24 allocate the most time (30%) to content on their smartphone, and only 8% to content through a cable box.

TikTok has quickly become an entertainment hub for young consumers, the researchers also noted.  

YouTube remains the biggest player in “non-premium” online video:  more than 80 percent of respondents use it regularly.  But TikTok has become indispensable to many young viewers, in a relatively short period of time.  Among those age 13-24, two-thirds have used TikTok in the past week (second only to YouTube), the researchers said. 

Among those using TikTok, 72% say they watch it every day (compared with just 48% of YouTube users in that age group) and among those who use both, more than half (51%) say they’d choose TikTok over YouTube if they could only have one.

The data cited here come from Hub’s “Video Redefined” study, conducted among 1,900 US consumers age 13-74.  The data was collected in December 2022.

BOSTON, Mass.—As more streaming services launch ad-supported offerings and consumers are increasingly concerned about inflation and the rising streaming bills, the Q4 2022 wave of Hub’s “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” study reveals strong engagement with ad-supported TV services among TV viewers. 

“The industry seems to have finally solved the mystery of how to get consumers to accept ads in TV—and it was as simple as offering a less onerous ad experience and paired with a price break to boot.” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub. “Now that Netflix and Disney+ have jumped on the ad-supported bandwagon, the question is whether and when the remaining ad-free only holdouts will join in.”

One key finding was that most TV consumers would rather watch ads if it means saving money. Nearly three in five (57%) say they’d rather watch ads and pay $4-$5 less per month for a streaming service. The survey also found that the preference for less expensive, ad-supported tiers over more expensive, ad-free tiers has remained relatively stable over the past year.

When given the choice, the researchers also found that many consumers would opt for a platform that offered them the option of both ad-free and ad-supported tiers.

When asked to choose between three hypothetical TV services, viewers who are given the option to choose a platform with tiered service – some with ads, some without – do so nearly 2x as often as those shown a platform that only offers “limited ads," Hub reported. 

The survey also found that, just as Netflix and Disney+ are releasing their new ad-supported tiers, some subscribers are planning to make the switch, and non-subscribers are considering signing up. Researchers noted that 35% of current Disney+ subscribers and 24% of current Netflix subscribers anticipate switching their subscription tier when the new ad-supported options become available.

The researchers also explored price hikes by streaming services. They noted that in tandem with the release of their ad-supported tier, Disney+ is also raising the price of their ad-free offering: from $7.99 to $10.99 per month.  This helps explain why more than 1 in 10 Disney+ subscribers think they’ll drop the service entirely, the researchers said. 

The ad-supported tiers are also drumming up interest among viewers who are not currently subscribers.  22% of Disney+ non-subscribers think they’ll sign up for Disney+ once the new ad-supported tier is available.  A similar 22% of Netflix non-subscribers anticipate signing up for Netflix service, including 15% who anticipate signing up for the ad-supported tier, the survey found.

The survey also indicated that AVODs offer the most ‘reasonable’ ad-supported viewing experience and draw the most engagement with advertising, the researchers said. Subscribers to the ad-supported tiers of Discovery+ and HBO Max are the most likely to feel the number of ads they saw during a show they watched recently was “reasonable” – nearly 3x higher than for Live TV on an MVPD.

Discovery+ and HBO Max two platforms are also at the top of the list when consumers are asked how much attention they paid to the ads they saw during the show.  37% of Discovery+ and HBO Max viewers say they gave the ads their nearly “complete” attention, the researchers said. 

Overall viewing enjoyment is closely linked with ad attention, and ads and ad-breaks that are shorter are more likely to keep viewers engaged, the researchers said. 

Viewers who enjoy their overall viewing experience (including the ad load, break length, and other considerations) report paying attention to most of the ads more often than those who enjoyed their overall experience less.

Asked about what would make them more likely to engage with advertising on TV, top answers include shorter ad breaks, shorter individual ads, and single-ad pods, along with with ads that reward viewers for their attention, the researchers report. 

Free, Ad-Supported TV streaming services (FASTs) continued to gain users, and made-for-FAST original content is getting noticed.

In Q4 2022, 65% of consumers say they use at least one FAST such Pluto TV, the free version of Peacock, the Roku Channel, TubiTV, Freevee, etc.  Usage continues to tick up over time, posting a 10-percentage-point gain over Q2 2021, the researchers said. 

FAST services’ investment in original programming is starting to gain traction, Hub reported. About one third ( 34%) of current FAST users and 19% of non-users say they have heard of original shows or movies that were produced specifically for a free service.  The most recalled FAST original titles were Roku Channel’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and Freevee’s Leverage: Redemption.

The increased availability of original content on FAST platforms may continue to fuel user growth in this sector.  47% of current FAST users and 30% of non-users say they’d be more likely to use a FAST service if they heard it was producing original, exclusive content.

 The data cited here came from Hub’s “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” study, conducted among 3,001 US consumers age 14-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. The data was collected in November 2022.

BOSTON, Mass.—While live linear TV viewing continues to decline, a new study from the Hub is reporting that across the entire TV viewer base, live TV from a traditional pay TV service remains the most common first stop for viewing. 

Hub’s annual “Decoding the Default” study, which tracks the TV source that consumers turn on first when they’re ready to watch, found that 28% of respondents say that linear channels from a cable, satellite, or telco TV subscription is their TV home base. Netflix is a close second, at 23%, while no other individual source reaches double digits.

Nearly two in five (39%) respondents, however, reported that they started viewing at one of the top six streaming services, the study found.   

Only 5% started with an over-the-air broadcast service, about the same as the 5% who started with a virtual MVPD. 

But the researchers stressed that live TV has been dropping steadily as a default source over the past seven years, and is at its lowest point they began measuring default sources. Netflix reached a saturation point as a default in 2018 (23%) and has been fluctuating around that level ever since.

In contrast, the other “Big 5” streaming subscription services have made more consistent gains. While no single service in this group comes close to Netflix, in combination they’re now just 7 points behind.

The study also found that the declines in linear from traditional pay are not significantly improved when one adds in linear from Virtual MVPDs. If anything, adding in live from VMVPD shows an even more pronounced decline for live TV in general as the first stop for TV. The percent turning first to VMVPD has not risen above 6% since we started measuring defaults.

Overall, the percent defaulting to any live TV subscription is only 32% in 2022, 3 points lower than in 2021 and 7 points lower than in 2019.

The study also found that the choice of a default starting point for viewing is dramatically different by age.

Among 18-34 year olds, 38% make Netflix their first viewing choice—more than 3 times the proportion who default to a traditional live source.

On the other hand, half (50%) of 55+ year-olds turn first to pay TV linear channels, more than 5 times the percent who make Netflix their first viewing stop.

Although live from traditional TV still hangs on to a slim lead as the top individual default source, online sources in general dominate traditional pay TV sources in general, the researcher wrote. 

And that dominance has increased since even last year: 57% make an online source their TV home (up from 55%) last year, while 38% default to a source from a pay TV set-top box: live, DVR, or VOD (down from 39%).

 The small proportion of 18-34 year olds, and the large proportion of 55+ year olds, who default to some live source hasn’t changed since last year. But 35-54 year olds are now 7 points less likely to default to live, the report found.

The proportion defaulting to Netflix has not changed among 35-54 or 55+ year olds. But after dipping between 2020 and 2021, Netflix is up 7 points as a default among 18-34 year olds.

The drop for live among 35-54 year olds comes with an increase of 4 points defaulting to a Big 5 SVOD other than Netflix among this age group, Hub found. 

 The survey also found that being a default service is important because those who default to a service are dramatically more likely to remain loyal to it.

As part of the survey, Hub asked consumers to select which of the TV services they currently have they would keep if they had to drop all services except one. Among all subscribers to traditional pay TV service or each of the Big 5 SVODs, anywhere from 8% to 37% name each as the service they’d hang on to if they had to drop all others.

But among those who default to each of those services, the percent saying it would be the one service they’d keep jumps dramatically, to anywhere from 59% to 65%.

“At a time when the typical TV consumer uses an average of 7.4 different sources of TV content (Hub, The Best Bundle, 2022), simple penetration of a service in the marketplace is no longer a reliable measure of long term service success,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the report. “A much better predictor is how much consumers engage with each service they have—and in particular, which they consider their TV viewing home base.”

The data cited here come from Hub’s “Decoding the Default” study, conducted among 1,600 US consumers with broadband, age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. The data was collected in August 2022.

BOSTON, Mass.—While the brouhaha over Netflix’s subscriber losses has caused some analysts to suggest the streaming party is over, consumers don’t seem to have gotten the memo, the newly released Hub’s “Best Bundle” research study suggests. 

It found ongoing growth in the uptake of streaming services with 89% of U.S. consumers subscribing to one in 2022–up an impressive 12 percentage points in one year–and the average number of TV sources hitting 7.4 in 2021, up from 5.7 in 2021.

Overall, more than three quarters of those surveyed say they plan to add more streaming services. Among those who plan to add services, 77% say they’ll keep all of their current services when they do and that they’ll be simply adding to the size of their TV bundles.

“Netflix’s subscriber loss in Q1 of 2022, and its anticipated losses in the following quarters, represent a tiny proportion of its global subscriber base,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study. “And in fact, at some point, a service as widely penetrated as Netflix has only so much room left to grow. In our view, it would be a grave mistake to take the Netflix experience as a sign that streaming TV services are on the verge of decline, as some analysts have suggested. The lure of buzzworthy exclusive content, and the sheer convenience of on-demand viewing, are two powerful forces that should keep these services growing at least for the near term.”

One of the key findings of the study is that the average number of sources consumers use to access TV content has hit an all-time high in 2022.

Counting traditional pay TV service, live TV streaming services, individual streaming subscriptions, free streaming services, transactional services, and antenna, the average consumer now uses 7.4 sources for TV content. That number has been climbing steadily since 2018 and saw its biggest increase yet between 2021 and 2022.

While the use of traditional pay TV service (cable, satellite, telco) is down 5 percentage points year over year, live TV streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live, and Sling are up a comparable 5 points, the Hub reported. 

Consumers are not only subscribing to more streaming services, but increasingly, they’re combining multiple services into their TV service bundles, the study found. Half of TV consumers now subscribe to three or more of the “Big 5” streaming TV services: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney+. That’s up 10 points since 2021, and it’s nearly double what it was just two years ago.

In addition the Hub study found that more and more consumers are using free, ad-supported streaming platforms (FASTs) like Pluto TV, Tubi, Freevee, and the Roku Channel. 

Use of these free services is approaching 60%, after having grown by close to 10 points each year since 2020.

The distribution of ad-free vs. ad-supported subscribers differs dramatically for each of the five major streaming platforms that offer both options, with HBO Max the most heavily ad-free and the subscription version of Peacock the most ad-supported, the Hub researchers noted. 

More than three-fourths say they plan to add even more new services in the next six months, the study found. And the proportion intending to add services is up 5 points since last year.

Notably, among those who intend to add services, three-fourths say they’ll keep all of their current services when they do: simply adding to the size of their TV bundles.

The study also found an interesting correlation between the number of services used by a consumer and their satisfaction with the services. With virtually every streaming service now touting its exclusive content, consumers need to have at least 4 TV services before a majority feel strongly satisfied with their TV bundle, the researchers reported. 

Among those with 4 to 7 services, a slight majority feel all of their needs are met “very well”. 

It’s not until one reaches 8 or more services that a strong proportion (69%) feel the same about their TV service lineup.

The data cited here come from Hub’s “Best Bundle” study, conducted among 1,600 U.S. consumers with broadband, aged 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. The data was collected in April 2022. 

BOSTON—To keep up with all the TV content out in the world today, users are relying on more TV sources than ever before. According to the latest report from Hub Entertainment Research, the average consumer uses 5.7 different sources of TV content.

The sources that consumers are using range from traditional pay-TV, streaming services and over-the-air reception through an antenna. The 5.7 average that Hub reports for 2021 is nearly one service higher than in 2020 (4.8) and nearly double what it was prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 (3.7).

Streaming, unsurprisingly, is a big reason for the rise in the average. Nearly eight in 10 users now use a streaming TV service, per Hub. That number is 19 percentage points higher than those who have a traditional pay-TV subscription. Traditional pay-TV has actually dropped by seven percentage points since 2020.

However, there was only a two percentage point increase in consumers saying they started using a streaming service compared to last year. What is driving the growing gap between streaming and pay-TV is the increase in use of multiple streaming services and greater adoption of free, ad-supported services.

More than half (59%) of all TV consumers say they use two or more of the top SVODs (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+ or HBO Max). That is up eight points from 2020. Use of AVOD services (Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Peacock) is also up eight points to 48% of consumers.

Some consumers are expecting to continue to add to their available services. One in five (21%) say they plan to sign up for a new service in the next six months. Majority of those planning to add will do so without cutting another service. Those with four or more services are actually more likely to add another subscription without replacing anything, per Hub.

In terms of satisfaction, about 52% of consumers says their bundle of services meet their needs “very well,” while 42% said “somewhat well” and just 6% said “not at all well.”

For more information, visit Hub’s website. 

BOSTON—It’s out with the old TVs and in with the smart TVs, according to a new report from Hub Entertainment Research. Hub found that more than half of all TV sets are now smart TVs, representing the majority for the first time.

Included in Hub’s “Connected Home” report, it was shown that 52% of all TVs are now smart TVs, up from 45% in 2020. This shows that older, non-smart TVs are more rapidly being replaced, per Hub.

Seven out of 10 U.S. TV households reported that they owned a smart TV. The younger generation is more likely to own a smart TV, with 61% of homes where the oldest person is under 35 reported owning one, as did 59% of homes with children under age 18.

The smart TVs that people are buying are more increasingly featuring built-in operating systems from streaming providers Roku or Amazon Fire TV; more than two in five households say they have one of these kind of smart TV sets. Roku and Fire TV penetration is greater when you factor in a separate streaming device, as 57% of TV homes have such a device or a Roku/Fire TV set.

“The wider adoption of smart TVs and replacement of non-smart TVs turns up the pressure on connected devices like streaming boxes, streaming sticks and video game consoles,” said David Tice, senior consultant to Hub and co-author of the study. “This ‘eliminating of the middleman’ will have a direct impact on how future revenue is split on advanced TV businesses like streaming, interactive shopping, and addressable advertising.”

Overall, streaming to a TV set has increased from 74% in 2020 to 77% of all homes as per this most recent report. More than half (56%) of all homes say they stream using a smart TV at least once a month, up from the 48% that did so in 2020.

The way people are buying their new TV sets is also changing, in large part due to the pandemic. In 2019, 42% of consumers said they would buy a new TV set in a store, while 27% planned to do so online. Those numbers have essentially flipped; 29% plan to buy a new TV at the store, with 43% buying online.

For more information, visit Hub’s website.

BOSTON—A year into the pandemic, consumers’ new habits of increased TV viewing and streaming are becoming entrenched, according to the latest Hub Entertainment Research study. Even so, things aren’t all rosy, as pay-TV is turning into the easiest service to drop amid the plethora of options available.

These statistics come from Hub’s latest “Predicting the Pandemic” research, which compared responses from three different times over the last year—July 2020, November 2020 and February 2021.

Last July, 69% of respondents told Hub they were watching more TV at that time than they did before the pandemic; the numbers were similar (70%) in November. But as of February that percentage shot up seven points to 77%, with 42% saying they watched a lot more TV than prior to the pandemic.

More consumers are also adding new services. Hub found that 44% of respondents said that they have added at least one subscription service during the pandemic, up 10 points from November 2020. Related, a quarter of respondents said that they had dropped at least one TV service; that number was at 18% in July 2020.

Per Hub’s research, a good chunk of those dropped services were likely pay-TV. Since November 2020, cable, satellite or telco TV services fell by 9 points, with 62% of TV consumers saying they subscribe to such a service. More people are opting to go with vMVPD services (YouTube TV, Sling TV, etc.) to access local and cable channels, as the percentage of vMVPD subscribers has increased from 11% in February 2020 to 21% in February 2021.

Consumers’ mentality around pay-TV has also shifted over the last year. In July 2020, 69% of consumers said that they would have still cut their pay-TV services if the pandemic had not happened. But as of February, that number has increased to 89%.

Meanwhile, all the major streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max) have seen steady increase in subscription numbers. HBO Max has seen a significant increase in subscriptions since November 2020, which HUB attributes to its decision to release 2021 Warner Bros. movies the same day as they debut in theaters. However, HBO Max is also the service that most consumers would consider dropping post-COVID.

In addition, more people are now using AVOD streaming services, growing from 34% in February 2020 to 58% in February 2021.

“What’s been most interesting to us in our pandemic-related research has been trying to determine which pandemic-induced changes in TV behavior will persist once life begins to return to normal,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study. “This wave of the study strongly suggests that Americans have grown more than just accustomed to the TV viewing adjustments they’ve made during the pandemic, and are ready to embrace a new, streaming-centric normal.”

The full “Predicting the Pandemic” report is available on Hub’s website. 

BOSTON—Consumers are looking for original content when it comes to their streaming channels, according to a new study released by Hub Entertainment Research. This has given Netflix an early lead in both drawing and retaining subscribers, but Disney+ and HBO Max are making headway.

Hub’s “Evolution of Video Branding” notes that streaming platforms are labeling more TV shows and movies as “original.” The report details a number of different ways that original content is influencing consumers.

The simple act of labeling a program “original” boosts its viewing interest. For those 16-34 years old, 70% of respondents said that the term “original” makes them more interested in watching a show or movie (25% “a lot more interested”). “Original” holds less sway for those 35 and older, but even so more than half (53%) are more interested in original content.

Netflix is far and away the current leader when it comes to original content, Hub found. Among all TV viewers, 29% believe that Netflix offers the best originals, with CBS (6%) and Amazon Prime Video (5%) the next closest. Younger viewers (16-34) love Netflix even more, with 38% seeing it as having the best original content; Disney+ is second at 7%.

Unsurprisingly then, Netflix ranks as the most indispensable service among younger viewers, per the study. When asked to pick the TV network or streaming services they would keep if they could only have five, 44% of the 16-34 age group said Netflix. Streamers rounded out three of the four other spots—Disney+ (26%), Hulu (23%) and Amazon Prime Video (18%)—while ESPN (22%) was the only traditional TV network that ranked in their top five.

Traditional TV had a better showing among those 35 and older, making up four out of the five must-have networks. CBS (32%) led the way, followed by NBC (29%), Netflix (29%), ABC (29%) and ESPN (18%).

As far as drawing new customers, strategies by Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+ to promote exclusive original content in 2021 has helped drive subscriptions. For Netflix, 88% of new subscribers (from December 2020 and January 2021) said that the streamer’s plan to release a new original movie each week was a reason for signing up; 59% said it was the main reason. With HBO Max, the plan to release all 2021 Warner Bros. movies on the service the same day as theaters influenced 77% of new subscribers (main reason for 48%). And 68% of new Disney+ subscribers said the streaming service being home for certain new films and franchise titles was part of their decision (only 21% said it was the main reason).

“So far, Netflix has not only withstood the threats posed by new entrants in the ever-intensifying streaming wars—it has thrived,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study. “But WarnerMedia’s and Disney’s moves to prioritize streaming distribution are already reaping rewards and have the potential to significantly disrupt the TV service pecking order. What remains to be seen is whether this streaming-first strategy will transform HBO Max and Disney+ into Netflix replacements, or whether they’ll remain as Netflix supplements.”

For more information, visit www.hubresearchllc.com.  

BOSTON—Young consumers (aged 13-24) spend nearly as much time per week watching non-TV online video content as they do traditional TV programming, with the COVID-19 pandemic only increasing their online video consumption, according to a new report from Hub Entertainment Research.

According to Hub’s 2020 Video Redefined study, 13-24 year olds spend about 11.4 hours per week watching non-TV online video (i.e. YouTube, Twitch, TikTok) and 11.8 hours per week of traditional TV/streaming. No other age group is that close—25-34 year olds spend 17.9 hours per week watching traditional TV, compared to 10.3 hours for online video; 35 year olds and over watch more than three times worth of traditional TV (22.7 hours vs. 7.3 hours).

Unsurprisingly, the pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders have resulted in many 13-24 year olds increasing their online video consumption. Per Hub, two-thirds in this demographic say they are watching more online videos than prior to the pandemic. Older consumers have been less impacted, with only 29% saying they are watching more and 59% saying their habits haven’t changed.

Outside of YouTube, which is the top online video platform across all age groups, what sources age groups use to watch online videos strongly differ. Facebook is the only other source where more than 20% of those over 35 say they have watched an online video in the last seven days (44% say they have), however Facebook is actually tied for the second-least used service for those between 13-24. The young age group is more often watching content on Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

According to respondents, online videos serve a different purpose than traditional TV and major streaming services, Hub reports. People described traditional TV and a streamer like Netflix as a way to unwind or decompress, but YouTube, most notably YouTube Influencer videos, help consumers learn things, while TikTok is said to be a way to kill time.

“The rapid growth of platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, added to the continuing popularity of YouTube influencers, has made online video a leisure-time force to be reckoned with among 13-24 year olds,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study. “Of course, that popularity has major implications for marketers, especially considering that young consumers are more likely to trust product endorsements from their favorite online video personalities than traditional advertising.”

For more information, visit Hub’s website. 

BOSTON—Whether they admit to it or not, 38% of consumers are considered video pirates, according to a new report from Hub Entertainment Research. However, nearly all of them would utilize legal means if available.

This comes from Hub’s “Privacy + Piracy” survey, which provided greater insight into consumers’ video piracy practices and their thoughts on data collection through addressable advertising on smart TVs.

When it comes to piracy, 35% of consumers admit to pirating a video, while 3% do not admit it but say they use pirate sites or apps. About one in four (24%) are considered active pirates, having pirated content in the past six months.

Among the active pirates, 65% say they have considered the financial impact of piracy on those involved in the production and distribution of TV or film content, but it has had little impact on their behavior. A little more than half (52%) of active pirates have received a warning letter or email about their video piracy, but only 45% said that it made them pirate less or stop altogether.

Hub also provides data on password sharing, revealing that 35% of consumers share a password with a person outside their home for a digital media service, while 39% of people use a password from a person outside their household.

Still, 94% of active video pirates say they would use legal means of viewing content if it was more convenient and available to access content; 52% said they would do so even if it cost no more or less than piracy, while 42% said they would even if it cost more.

“Video piracy is concentrated among a minority of the population, and driven by certain demographic groups such as those under 35, those in lower income homes or those in homes with kids,” said David Tice, senior consultant to Hub and co-author of the study. “Much as we saw in the early 2000s with Napster and illegal music downloads, legal threats are less effective as a deterrent than offering pirates a legal alternative—but an alternative must address the reasons for their piracy in the first place.”

On the privacy side of the study, Hub found that 87% of consumers have concerns about how their personal data is collected, used and protected. When it comes to smart TVs, specifically, 71% of consumers say they are aware that the sets can track their viewing data, but 61% are either somewhat or very uncomfortable with the idea of smart TVs collecting data about their viewing.

Part of that uncomfortability is from ad agencies having access to that data. Hub found that 66% of consumers were either somewhat or very uncomfortable with ad agencies collecting and using data about them. In terms of the potential this data collection could be for addressable advertising, only 12% of consumers believe it benefit them a lot to have more ads relevant to them; 45% did say it may be somewhat beneficial.

Still there is an openness among consumers to share certain data, with half or more saying they are OK sharing gender (68%), ethnicity/race (65%), age (62%), sexual orientation (61%), zip code (55%), TV channels watched (54%), specific programs watched (53%) or what they buy at the supermarket (50%). Names, addresses, income, online purchases or use of specific apps or website are among the things a majority of consumers are not willing to share.

“[C]onsumers’ willingness to still share many relevant datapoints, despite their misgivings, means a concerted effort to educate consumers about the benefits of data collection and use should have a positive impact for the ad industry,” said Tice.

For more information, visit Hub’s website.

BOSTON—When viewers want to find something to watch, half of them will check what’s on streaming before traditional pay-TV options, according to a new study from Hub Entertainment Research.

Hub’s “2020 Decoding the Default” study sought to find out the preferences of today’s TV viewers, and while pay-TV is hanging on, streaming is well positioned to become the new standard-bearer for what people talk about when they ask “what’s on TV?”

When asked what their default source of TV viewing was, 50% of Hub’s respondents said that it was an OTT service, up from 47% in 2019. Pay-TV, meanwhile, fell from its mark of 47% in 2019 to 42% in 2020. In fact, Netflix by itself has almost overtaken live TV, with 23% saying it is their default choice while 30% go with live TV from a pay-TV provider.

That decrease of live TV serving as the default option for viewers is happening across all age groups. While those 18-34 are by far the lowest (14% in 2020, down from 21% in 2019), those aged 55 and over had a similar drop in percentage points, but remain the largest group that goes with live TV first (53% in 2019, 46% in 2020). 

In terms of overall viewing, 60% of viewers say that an online source consumes most of their viewing time over a pay-TV service. That was closer to an even split last year (52% for online, 48% for MVPD).

While nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) say they have both a traditional pay-TV service and a subscription to at least one streamer, the percentage of people who only have one or the other is now equal at 18%. The change from 2019 actually saw an increase in respondents who only had the one service—from 17% to 18% for pay-TV, 14% to 18% for streamers and down from 69% to 64% for both.

In addition, 50% of respondents subscribe to two or more of the “Big 4” streaming services—Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+—10% subscribe to all of them.

When it comes to which service respondents said they would choose if they could only have one, live pay-TV still sits at the top with 35%, but Netflix trails right behind it at 32%.

For more information on the “2020 Decoding the Default” study, visit Hub’s website. 

BOSTON—The latest study of consumer habits during the pandemic, and what may remain afterward, from Hub shows that 28% of consumers report having signed up for at least one new streaming service since February, before the pandemic began.

The big four streaming platforms—Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Disney+—all had at least a three point growth during that time frame in terms of percentage of consumers that say they subscribe to the service. Hulu saw the biggest growth (25% to 33%), followed by Amazon Prime Video (38% to 44%). Netflix and Disney both saw a three percentage point growth—from 60% to 63% for Netflix and 29% to 32%.

PLUS: Disney+ Surpasses 60M Subscribers

Hub identified three key reasons for why consumers turned to these services while sheltering at home: they offer exclusive shows, provide value for money and have a deep library of content.

The habit of watching streaming TV is expected to continue for many consumers after the pandemic. While 40% of consumers said they were watching more streaming TV because of the pandemic, 19% said that habit will continue after the pandemic; only spending more time outdoors and shopping online had higher responses.

Streaming hasn’t been the only TV segment that saw a positive growth during the pandemic. Hub found that video on-Demand—both over pay-TV and online—has increased. The number of people watching VOD from an MVPD weekly went up from 46% in February to 52% as of July. Buying or renting PPV movies went up from 19% to 26%, while buying or renting PPV TV shows went up from 18% to 25%.

Also, people are finding new content to watch through advertising and previews. As of October 2019, word of mouth/social was the biggest factor in people finding new content (31%), advertising drove 29% of respondents and previews was just 9%. But as of July, despite a dip, advertising has taken over as the biggest draw with 27% saying it leads them  to new TV shows. Previews saw an increase to 15%, while word of mouth has dropped to 25%.

The increase of viewing traditional broadcasts is another habit that will stick around for a number of consumers as well. Hub found 13% of respondents said they plan to continue to watch the same amount of broadcast news post-pandemic, and 12% plan to watch as much broadcast nets in general.

“When it comes to the business of entertainment, people clearly intend to continue supporting the streaming TV services they’ve relied on for comfort viewing, the broadcast networks they’ve relied on for news and the online videos they’ve used for distractions,” said Peter Fondulas, co-founder and principal of Hub Entertainment Research.

For more information on Hub’s “Predicting the Post-Pandemic” report, visit Hub’s website. 

BOSTON—Consumers would like to get a price check on their TV services. According to a recent survey by Hub Entertainment Research, the average consumer feels like they are paying too much every month for TV services.

The new findings come from Hub’s annual “Monetizing Video” study. As part of the study, Hub asked consumers to estimate how much they pay for all of their TV subscriptions combined and then what they would consider a reasonable price for those services. The average monthly cost for current services was $94, and the average reasonable price given by consumers was $72, a difference of $22.

Drilling down into more specifics on the types of services, consumers with a traditional TV service (cable, satellite or telco) without also subscribing to a streaming service have a gap between what they actually pay ($106/month) and what they think is reasonable ($69/month) of $37. That is more than for consumers who have traditional TV with or without streaming services ($29 gap) and those with streaming services but no traditional TV ($6 gap).

Not surprisingly, the services that provide the most value according to Hub’s respondents are all streaming services—Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Traditional TV services were the lowest, with 42% saying they found traditional TV to have excellent or good value.

PLUS: Netflix Tops 2020 'Must Keep TV' Rankings

An additional component of the Hub study showed that younger consumers also are willing to shell out more through streaming services for a chance to see first-run movies at home over the theater. Hub shared that 63% of consumers aged 18-34 would definitely or probably pay to stream a just-released movie; conversely, only 12% of consumers over the age 35 said they would (just 2% definitely would). More than half (57%) of 18-34 year olds would still prefer to stream first-run movies for up to $50.

“The strong preference for streaming, for TV and first-run movies, has the potential to fundamentally shift the entertainment distribution dynamic, assuming the industry is ready to accept the collateral damage—to the pay television and theater industries—such a move would leave in its wake,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study.

The full study is available at www.hubresearchllc.com.  

BOSTON—The coronavirus pandemic has impacted not only what viewers are watching during widespread shutdowns, it is also bringing more diversity to their choices. These are the conclusions of research firm Hub’s annual “Best Bundle” study that analyzes consumers’ TV viewing habits. 

Not surprisingly, subscriptions to streaming services have jumped over the past year with more than 75% of respondents reporting that they have at least one online streaming subscription, up 6% from 2019. The biggest impact has been the debut of Disney+ which counts for nearly 1/3 of all TV subscriptions, less than six months since its November 2019 launch.  

Netflix remains the king of subscription streaming, but Amazon and Hulu have seen the biggest year over year increases, according to Hub.

Hub’s study also distinguishes viewer behavior among respondents who said they are self isolating at home with kids and those who are not self isolating at home and do not have kids. Among households who are self isolating without kids, 82% have at least one subscription, and among those self isolating with kids, the rate jumps to 94%. The percentage of respondents who have at least one streaming subscription but say they are “not” self isolating and don’t have kids at home is much lower, at around 60%. 

Among those who say they are self isolating at home, the average number of individual TV services they’re accessing is seven, Hub said. 

“There’s no shortage of recent studies demonstrating that consumers are watching more television as they shelter at home,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study. “What our study shows is exactly where they’re turning to fill their newly found viewing time—primarily to streaming services that offer a combination of exclusive originals, family-friendly titles and older shows that can provide a bit of nostalgic solace during this unprecedented and stressful time.”

The data cited here comes from Hub’s “The Best Bundle” study, conducted among 2,000 US consumers with broadband, age 16-74, who watch at least one hour of TV per week. The data was collected in April 2020.

BOSTON—Some of the subscription figures that streaming services have may not show the whole picture of who all is watching their content, as password sharing with non-subscribers has become an increased worry, especially among the younger generation.

In its “Video Redefined” study, Hub has determined that password sharing is a particular problem among 13-24 year olds, with 81% having given or used someone else’s password. For 35-74 year olds that percentage drops to 29%, but still is nearly one in every three adults.

In terms of sharing passwords with someone not in the house, about 31% of all consumers confessed to doing it (64% 13-24 year olds, 16% of 35 and older). For the teens and young adults, Netflix is the most popular service to share at 56%, while Disney+, which launched in November 2019, is second at 31%; Hulu (30%), Apple TV+ (17%) and Amazon (14%) follow.

Even more consumers are likely to use a password for a service that they do not subscribe to—42% across all ages (78% 13-24 and 24% 35 and older). Netflix is still the most popular streaming service to access (69%), followed by Hulu (59%), Amazon (53%), Disney+ (53%), HBO Now (45%) and Apple TV+ (42%).

Viewers will often continue to use the shared password frequently. For 13-24 year olds, 77% will access Netflix at least every week; Hulu 73%, Disney+ 73% and Amazon 68%.

“Online streaming platforms must love it when one of their original shows generates massive buzz. After all, what better way to attract new subscribers than by offering hugely popular shows you can’t watch anywhere else?” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and the study’s co-author. “But when popularity and exclusivity are combined with often ambiguous, even sometimes nonexistent, rules about legitimate use, it’s almost an invitation to subscribers to share the enjoyment with friends and family. Wall Street has already made its displeasure clear, but in spite of that, password sharing is still very much alive and well.”

More information is available on Hub’s website.

BOSTON—There’s a lot of good content in what has been called the golden age of television, and viewers are discovering new and sometimes classic shows frequently. How they discover them has changed in recent years, however, as online sources are becoming the go-to place rather than through traditional pay-TV set-top box, according to Hub.

In its annual “Conquering Content” study, Hub has found that online resources have not only overtaken traditional TV options for finding and viewing new shows, but that it is nearly doubling as the place for viewers to discover their new favorite shows.

In 2015, when Hub asked viewers to reveal how they found a favorite show they’ve discovered in the last year, 57% said that they did so through a set-top box either with live TV, DVR or VoD; online came in at 43%. Since then, those numbers have been trending in opposite directors, and as of 2019 the margin is the largest its ever been, with online serving as the main source for 63% of viewers, while traditional TV options were the method for just 35%.

Netflix has separated itself as the top online choice. After overtaking traditional TV for the first time in 2018, the streamer has built upon its lead and was cited as the source of new favorite shows by 34% of respondents (up from 30% in 2018). Meanwhile, in comparison, traditional TV dropped a couple of points from 25% in 2018 to 23% in 2019.

“Even if traditional TV platforms still account for the bulk of all TV viewing, online sources are now the clear go-to for consumers’ favorite shows—the shows they’re most likely to talk about with others,” said Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study. “Equally notable is that Netflix, by itself, is now a stronger source of favorite shows than all linear TV networks taken together.”

More information on the study can be found at www.hubresearchllc.com.