Top Three SVOD Services Are in 78% of U.S. Households

Netflix
(Image credit: Netflix)

DURHAM, N.H.—New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) finds that 78% of all U.S. households have a subscription video on-Demand (SVOD) service from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and/or Hulu. 

That is flat from the 78% reported in 2020, and up from 74% in 2019, and 59% in 2016, according to a survey of 2,000 households nationwide that is part of a new LRG study, “Emerging Video Services 2021”. This is LRG’s fifteenth annual study on this topic.

Overall, 58% of U.S. households now have more than one of these SVOD services – compared to 55% in 2020, 51% in 2019, and 28% in 2016.

The survey also found that 41% of all adults stream a top SVOD service daily – compared to 40% in 2020, 33% in 2019, and 24% in 2016. 

When the researchers asked about eleven additional streaming video services, it found that 82% of all households have at least one SVOD or DTC service, and 53% have three or more services. 

The mean number of SVOD/DTC services among all households is 3.1 – compared to 2.9 in 2020, LRG reported. 

The report noted that 54% of adults watch video on non-TV devices (including mobile phones, home computers, tablets, and eReaders) daily – compared to 55% in 2020, 51% in 2019, and 41% in 2016, with higher usage among younger people. 

The survey found that 81% of people aged 18-34 watch video on non-TV devices daily – compared to 59% of aged 35-54, and 25% of who are 55 and older. 

“The percent of households with a top SVOD service held steady in 2021, and those using any of these services daily also levelled off after being pulled forward last year due to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc.  “While the breadth of households with a major SVOD service is similar to last year, those with multiple top SVOD services continued to expand.  And, including eleven additional streaming video services, 27% of households now report having five or more SVOD or DTC services.”

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.