Streaming popularity continues to rise, and the proof is in the numbers. The total number of streaming service subscriptions surpassed 1.1 billion globally at the end of 2020. Now, new forecasts predict that global SVOD subscriptions will see a 65% increase by 2026.
Analysts at Digital TV Research say between 2021 and 2026, 591 million subscriptions will be added globally, bringing the total SVOD subscription number to 1.495 billion.
“There will be 700 million SVOD subscribers by 2026; up by 35 percent from 518 million at end-2020,” said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research. “The 2026 total represents 39 percent of TV households, increasing from 30 percent in 2020.”
Right now, China leads the world in the total number of SVOD subscriptions, but the U.S. will overtake China this year. In 2020, the U.S. and China made up 59% of the world’s streaming subscriptions, but that number will fall to 48% by 2026 as India continues to see major growth.
In contrast, with more viewers choosing to cut the cord last year, cable TV decreased by 2% in 2020, dropping to 530.7 million users globally.