Choosing the best streaming service is not just about price, but about the experience as a whole, from ease of navigation to the amount of stuff you actually want to watch.
For some, the best is Netflix. The most expensive service of all stands out for its gigantic catalog. No one releases more movies and series than the American streaming giant. It was the first to arrive and is the first in users in 2023.
For others, nothing beats HBO Max. Its high-level series, its highly complex dramas, its works of great value… the perception of quality offered by HBO Max makes it the preferred choice of users who claim to be “exquisite”.
And for any Marvel and Disney lover, the Disney+ app is the must-have service on your TV. Every new series, every movie premiere… Disney+ offers a lot of quality content, although you have to like superhero and space themes, its two great strengths.
And so we could go on with Filmin, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video and so on. Luckily there is a company that is in charge of making a very reliable survey about the perception that customers have of each platform… about the platforms themselves.
Which platform is the most satisfied with its users?
Each year, Whip Media surveys more than 2,000 U.S. viewers to find out what they think of its streaming services, and this year, for the second year in a row, there is a clear winner: Max.
However, HBO Max shouldn’t believe it. His score has dropped slightly, from 94% last year to 88% this year. While not a particularly large drop, there have been more significant movements in the rankings, even though Max is still number one.
According to the report, there is generally good news for the sector, with overall satisfaction levels increasing. However, the study also indicates that the best-known and largest streaming services are facing difficulties. It highlights that Netflix continues to “grapple with a long-term deterioration in subscriber satisfaction.”
The top three are the same as last year, albeit with slight changes in their figures. After Max is Hulu, with 87% satisfaction (the same figure as last year), followed by Disney Plus with 85%, down from 88% in 2022.
Apple TV+ ranks fourth, rising from 76% satisfaction to 81%. Meanwhile, Paramount Plus has also improved, now at 79% versus 79% last year and 75% the year before.
Netflix shows a significant drop, down from 90% in 2021, to 80% in 2022 and now to 77%, and Prime Video is right behind at 74%, slightly up from 72% last year.
But the consolation prize and trying harder probably belongs to Peacock. It may be in last place, but its ratings have gone from 62% in 2021 to 68% last year and 74% now, putting it on par with Amazon.
And before we get crazy, of course studies like this only have a small number of actual subscribers, which doesn’t make it a survey we can follow to the letter.
But they do provide interesting trend data and can help streaming companies see where their competitors are doing better.
The most complex reading to understand the streaming wars
The full study is more nuanced: for example, it notes that Netflix “continues to lead all other platforms in user experience and programming recommendations, despite losing traction from last year….. Disney Plus and Max are the only platforms to post declines in both categories.”
One of the most interesting categories, given the recent spate of price hike announcements, is whether people think the services are good value for money.
Disney Plus and Max are down five and seven points, respectively, and Hulu, Netflix and Paramount Plus also suffer one-point declines. And yet Peacock and Apple TV+ are each up five points.
