Sling TV, one of the original products in this space, ended 2021 with fewer subscribers than it had in 2019. In 2022, vMVPD subscription revenues will increase 18.0%, down from its 33.9% increase in 2021. We recently published our inaugural forecast for subscription revenues for the vMVPD fuboTV. Its share of total vMVPD subscription revenues rose from 3.1% in 2019 to 6.4% in 2021.

Examples include Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, and YouTube Premium. OTT video services are not mutually exclusive; there is overlap between groups. Netflix viewers are individuals of any age who watch Netflix via app or website at least once per month.

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. The significant disruption that COVID-19 placed on live sports also reduced the marketability of these products.

The return of live sports produced a flurry of licensing activity from broadcast networks and streaming services—including digital video, social, and ecommerce platforms. It also reignited concerns about the sustainability of pricing models for sports video and TV.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and senior forecasting analyst Oscar Orozco discuss how digital adoption has made it possible—or not—for people to work, study and entertain themselves from home during the COVID-19 outbreak. Who doesn't use the internet? Do people spend more time watching Netflix or YouTube? And which platforms get the most social media attention? They then talk about Spotify Kids, faster same-day delivery and Sling TV losing customers.

The TV upfronts look to bounce back in 2021 after a tough year resulting from disruptions wrought by the pandemic.

Although a growing percentage of ad spending around TV content is happening through addressable, programmatic, and connected TV channels, making advertising more accountable, holistic campaign metrics that cut across the linear and digital domains remain elusive.

Examples include Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. Total Video Revenues. As more viewers leave traditional TV packages for streaming alternatives, there is a heightened interest in how much money is being spent on video subscriptions and which companies are benefitting from changes in consumer viewing patterns.

People will also be spending a greater share of their subscription OTT video time with the long tail of “other” services we don’t breakout individually—a category that includes services like HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, Discovery+, and Apple TV+, as well as vMVPD services like Sling TV and YouTube TV.

In Q4 2019 and Q1 2020, Sling TV, one of the leaders in this space, reported a decline in subscribers. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV are the most common vMVPDs, with 6.5 million, 8.9 million, and 5.8 million monthly viewers this year, respectively. Each of these services will add viewers through our forecast period.

For the first time, we have broken out forecasts for YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV, the two most popular vMVPD products. Previously, we only had an individual forecast for Sling TV. We anticipate that Hulu with Live TV will have the biggest US vMVPD audience this year, with 9.2 million viewers. Sling TV and YouTube TV will have 7.0 million and 6.2 million viewers, respectively.

Examples of vMVPDs include Sling TV, fuboTV, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. Our CTV advertising forecast also includes inventory sold by streaming hardware companies. Like Roku, Amazon Fire TV is a streaming device-maker that sells CTV inventory from publishers. Samsung is a TV manufacturer that sells CTV ads. We include these ad sales in our forecast.

Free ad-driven streamers (like YouTube, Pluto TV and Tubi). Virtual cable packages (like Sling TV, YouTube TV and fuboTV). Video products from social media firms (like Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok). Online video games (like Fortnight) and esports platforms (like Twitch). To marketers’ dismay, the biggest streaming entrants are either entirely ad free or offer an ad-free tier.

In a June 2019 survey by over-the-top (OTT) video service Sling TV and video-focused supply-side platform (SSP) Telaria, almost two-thirds of US internet users ages 18 to 29 had negative opinions of political ads on social media, with the most common description among respondents being “untrustworthy.”