Mike Peterson
Apple TV+ could hit 35.6 million users by the end of 2026, roughly seven years after it debuted, according to estimates published by a television research firm.
The analysis firm, Digital TV Research, has released a report predicting subscriber and user numbers for the largest streaming platforms. According to the report, seen by The Hollywood Reporter, three platforms will control nearly half of the video-on-demand market by 2026.
Disney+, for example, could hit 284.2 million subscribers in 2026. That would eclipse the analysts' expectations for Netflix, which it says will reach 270.7 million users by the end of the same year.
Additionally, the firm predicts that Amazon Prime will reach 243.4 million users by the end of 2026, followed by China's Tencent and iQiyi brands. HBO could hit 76.3 million users in the same timespan, while Apple TV+ could reach 35.6 million.
Overall, global subscriptions to video-on-demand services will increase by 491 million between 2021 and 2026. It could reach a total of 1.64 billion globally by then, Digital TV Research projects. China and the U.S. will account for about 49% of the total.
Although a critical success by some measures, Apple has yet to report subscriber numbers for Apple TV+. Interestingly, research firm Statista estimated that Apple TV+ had about 40 million users by the end of 2020. Most of those users are on a free promotional trial, so the Digital TV Research estimates suggest that Apple TV+ will actually lose subscribers and see stagnant growth over the next five years.
Christine McKee
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16 Comments
Stupid predictions. Apple could have a huge show next year or Ted Lasso season 3 may have a crazy “must see” episode. We don’t know what hits are waiting.
One thing’s for sure. Apple is not quitting.
Also putting Prime against other video services is dumb as most people don’t even watch Prime video even when they have a subscription.
To each his own since I love Prime Video and I watch it much more than Netflix. Many of the Netflix shows are very violent or too much drug infested for my taste.
Disney+ just increased their pricing monthly 8.99 -> 11.99 and annual 89.99 -> 119.99 here in Canada. I don't have Netflix, but Disney+ and Prime have way more content than Apple - Prime try and show the same item in multiple categories to make it look like that have more - but Apple need to catch up on the content as they are still lagging.
How do they reach these conclusions? Neither article offered any incite.