Among major streaming video platforms, Peacock is the one where US subscribers are most likely to have the ad-supported version. Just 20% of Peacock subscribers shell out for the ad-free tier.

Disney pivots to a streaming-first strategy: Strong subscriber growth and theme park revenues helped the entertainment company overcome higher expenses and flatlining revenues from linear television.

It estimated that 8% of HBO Max, 59% of Hulu, 63% of Paramount+, and 72% of Peacock subscribers used ad-supported tiers. Hub Research’s data is survey-based, while Antenna relies on consumers’ transaction data—but they came to similar conclusions.

We lowered this forecast because market leaders in this category have been losing subscribers lately. For each of the past four quarters, beginning in Q4 2020, Hulu with Live TV reported fewer subscribers. Sling TV also recently reported subscriber losses. The pandemic made consumers price sensitive at a time when vMVPD subscription fees kept rising.

Subscriber flight costs Netflix $50 billion in value: Streaming giant suffers worst loss in over a decade and risks losing more users by spending less on original content, charging more for shared passwords, and introducing ad-supported tiers.

Relative newcomer Peacock will still fall far behind Netflix, which will have more than 170 million viewers this year, as well as Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max, all of which have well over 80 million subscribers. That said, Peacock will rank ahead of ESPN+ and Apple TV+ in viewership, cementing its spot as a contender in the streaming wars.

Now that Disney has bundled ESPN+ into Hulu, it’s likely that ESPN+ NFL games will be available to Hulu subscribers, albeit at an extra cost. Disney has also contracted with NFL Media to bring NFL Network and NFL Redzone to Hulu + Live TV subscribers starting in August 2021. CBS will make Sunday afternoon NFL games available on its streaming platform Paramount+.

Disney's Q3 earnings: Expect slowing subscriber growth alongside healthy ad sales—but don't get too excited about US TV ad sales as a whole.

A little over a year since its debut in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, Disney+ is now officially available to consumers in Latin America. Subscribers to the platform will be able to enjoy unlimited access to the company’s vast array of content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, Fox, and more.

In 2021, the biggest US beneficiary of the streaming bonanza will be Disney. After a plethora of streaming competitors launched in 2020, Netflix still added a substantial number of subscribers. Equally as impressive as Netflix’s sustained dominance was Disney+’s ability to quickly gain viewers. These developments show there’s room for multiple services to thrive in this fast-growing market.