Over the past two years, we’ve seen streaming service options explode with the addition of Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, and Paramount+, just to name a few. With so many services to choose from, it’s inevitable that consumers will start consolidating their subscriptions into more manageable lists of those they can’t live without, while letting go of their least favorites.
Focusing on content is a big subscription driver as we’ve seen with Apple TV+. The streaming service has landed its first in-demand show, and the results are already paying off. Last year, Apple TV+ had a 3.5% global demand share of all streaming services at the time its original series Ted Lasso series premiered. Now, the streamer has increased its demand share by a whopping 54% since debuting Ted Lasso, proving that the comedy’s popularity has driven subscriber growth.
But there’s another factor playing a big role in what makes a streaming service popular. Along with compelling content, viewers make their choice on what streaming service to watch based on how easy it is to use. In a recent survey by PWC, 55% of respondents rank a service’s ease of use higher than content quality. Just 35% of respondents said they choose a streaming service because they know they’ll always be able to find something to watch, and just 27% report the quality of content as their deciding factor.
The survey also dives into more questions about personalization playing a role in attractiveness. Nearly one-third (31%) of survey respondents, for example, said that easy, personalized content recommendations would be a reason for staying with a streaming service. Viewers seem to want to have more direction in knowing what to watch, with 29% of respondents saying they were often “frustrated” or “overwhelmed” by the array of choices available.