The streaming landscape has evolved dramatically in recent years: there are now many more platforms, and they are all competing with each other. The competition is so intense that we can call it ‘streaming wars’: each platform is fighting to increase the number of its members. This is not like other forms of entertainment. For example, someone who enjoys casino games can become a member of both xon bet and other casinos: this does not incur any additional costs and may even make the experience more enjoyable. Streaming, on the other hand, requires a subscription to certain platforms to access certain content. Each new subscription means an additional cost.
So, is there a clear winner in this battle, which we are sure will continue in 2025? Which streaming platforms have an actual future? In this article, we will try to answer these questions.
Current Landscape
According to analysts’ estimates, there were 1.8 billion streaming subscribers worldwide in late 2023, and the size of this industry was close to $670 billion. In 2032, this figure is expected to rise to $2.46 trillion. This means that the CAGR rate is close to 18%. Unless something unexpected happens, we are talking about a huge industry that will continue to grow every year, and there will always be service providers that are bigger than others. So, who are the biggest players in the industry by 2025? (*)
- Netflix: Although it now has many more competitors than before, Netflix is still the biggest name in the industry. As of September 2024, it had nearly 283 million total subscribers and thanks to its original content, almost everything it adds to its library is permanent.
- Disney+: This rapidly growing platform focuses on family-friendly content and franchises such as Marvel & Star Wars. As of September 2024, it had close to 123 million subscribers, but there are claims that it has recently lost a large number of subscribers.
- Amazon Prime Video: While there are no official figures, Prime Video was estimated to have close to 200 million subscribers as of the last quarter of 2024. That’s a big number, but we don’t know how many are actual viewers and how many are Prime service subscribers.
- Max (formerly HBO Max): Max has close to 100 million subscribers and thanks to its original content, we can say that it has a more loyal audience, although not as many in numbers as others. It is also considered the most experienced (and oldest) brand in the market in terms of exclusive content.
While there are many other platforms such as Paramount+, Hulu, Peacock, and Apple+, their number of subscribers is not even half of these four brands. Except for Paramount+, all others struggle to cross the 50 million mark.
(*) Although Tencent Video and iQIYI are platforms that have exceeded 100 million subscribers, we have not included them in this list because they cannot be watched outside a very limited geographical region, i.e. they are not global brands.
Emerging Trends
To determine which brands will emerge “victorious” from the streaming wars, let’s first take a look at the emerging trends in the industry, as these will determine who wins new subscribers and who loses.
- Content Personalisation: No one wants to spend minutes trying to find something to watch anymore. Almost all the existing platforms can make appropriate recommendations to the viewer in a very short time by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to some extent, but we can say that Netflix is the most successful.
- Hybrid Monetisation Models: Almost every platform now offers hybrid subscription models or is preparing to switch to this model. A hybrid subscription means that you can access the same content for a lower monthly fee in exchange for ad viewing. This approach was developed to win over low-budget viewers, and it works for all platforms: there is no clear winner.
- Mobile Streaming Growth: More and more viewers now prefer to access content on mobile devices. Therefore, streaming services that offer easy-to-use, seamless and practical applications on all platforms will be more successful. Although this is a personal preference, we can say that Netflix is better at this job according to user comments.
Trends are fluid by nature, but we do not expect any change in 2025 in this list.
Expectations
So, what does all this mean? It actually means that barring a surprise, the above list will remain unchanged in 2025. Subscriber numbers may increase or decrease, of course, but this change will not be significant enough to affect the names on the list. Paramount+ could grow to the size of HBO Max if it continues to invest in original and quality content, but it is too early to say. We also have to take economic factors into account: we don’t yet know which service providers will cut back, and which ones will invest in new shows.