Research from apptopia has revealed that year to date, subscription and advertising video-on-demand app downloads are the highest they've ever been, growing 29% and 45% year-on-year respectively.
The study found that the leading 25 subscription streaming apps were downloaded 72.4 million times in the third quarter of 2021, growing 19% over the last year. This has been a continuation of the sustained growth in the industry over the last two years ignited by the launch of Disney+ at the of 2019 and subsequently given fuel with the introduction of Peacock and Discovery+. Year-to-date, 2021 has been the strongest year for US subscription streaming app downloads with 216 million, a 29% increase year-on-year.
Looking at the market share of subscription apps by US downloads, the observed that HBO Max has grown “dramatically”, taking advantage of same day theatrical releases to become the leading SVOD app by measure of net new users. In all, apptopia said the combination of Peacock TV and HBO Max, and to a lesser extent, Discovery+, has eaten into the market share of Netflix and Disney+.
However, ranked by average monthly active users in the US, apptopia found Netflix retained its market leadership position followed by HBO Max which rose three places over the course of the last month, dislodging Disney+, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. The fastest growing streaming aps in the market were HBO Max, iQIYI, Paramount+, Epix NOW and Plex.
In a novel way of generating business, much of the growth of Epix - a cable and satellite television network specialising in films and commercial free TV - came from a partnership deal with Domino’s Pizzas where users entered into a free 30-day trial after ordering a pizza online. Epix was able to increase its average daily revenue by 42%, comparing the 30 days after the promotion ended with the 30 days prior. Subscriptions cost $5.99 per month.