Nearly Half of Streaming Users Subscribe to Ad-Supported Plans, Study Says
Data firm Antenna also says a majority of new subscribers are opting for ad tiers.
Ad-supported streaming subscriptions, which were barely a thing at the beginning of the decade, now make up almost half of subscription video on-demand plans in the United States.
Analytics firm Antenna’s latest report on the state of the streaming market puts the number of ad-tier streaming subscriptions at 110 million (excluding Prime Video, whose default option since early 2024 includes commercials). That represents 48 percent of all SVOD subscriptions in the U.S., up from 39 percent two years ago.
Ad-tier subscriptions are also the biggest growth area for streamers: According to Antenna’s data, ad-supported subscriptions accounted for 59 percent of gross additions in the first quarter of the year to SVOD platforms with ad options (that includes Discovery+, Disney+, Fox One, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+ and Peacock). More than three fourths of net additions (new subscriptions minus cancellations) were attributed to ad tiers.
