As a pioneer, Netflix has held a dominant hold on the streaming industry with more subscribers than any other service. However, that could change in the near future according to analysts at Digital TV Research.
The research firm predicts that by 2026, three platforms will control nearly half the world’s SVOD subscriptions, with Disney+ surpassing Netflix as the service with the most subscribers. The firm predicts Disney+ will add 140 million subscribers in the next five years bringing its total to 284 million, while Netflix will add 53 million subscribers to reach 271 million subscribers by 2026.
According to the forecasts, global SVOD subscriptions will rise by 491 million between 2021 and 2026 to reach 1.64 billion, with China and the US together accounting for 49% of the global total by 2026, down from 56% in 2021.
“China and the US had a similar number of subscriptions by end-2020,” said Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research. “Due to government pressure, China’s growth is decelerating, with 354 million subscriptions expected by 2026. The US will continue to grow, with 450 million subscriptions expected by 2026.”
About 121 million of Disney+’ subscribers (43% of its total) in 2026 will be in the 13 Asian countries under the Hotstar brand.