Netflix and Disney+ Lead in Streaming Recognition and Understanding, Report Finds

• The study showed that Disney+ has the strongest genre focus, followed by ESPN+, HBO Max, Discovery+, and AMC+.
• The top five streaming platforms are Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video.
• Netflix ranks first when it comes to brand awareness and familiarity.

Hub Entertainment Research recently released its annual Evolution of Video Branding study that tracks "awareness, familiarity, and understanding of top brands in the TV marketplace." It was found that Disney+ has the strongest genre focus among its contemporary streaming platforms. ESPN+ is next, followed by HBO Max, Discovery+, and AMC+.

It can get difficult to sort through several streaming services and remember which platform hosts which film or show. This is especially challenging as more and more subscription video on demand (SVOD) and free ad-supported television (FAST) services continue to emerge.

Disney+ enjoyed success owing mostly to its ad-supported plan and hosting adult Marvel-themed content. According to the study, the top three genres preferred by Disney+ fans are kids' content, theatrical films, and fantasy/supernatural.

The top five streamers are Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video. Around 78% of people involved in the study found that Hulu's defining genre is drama, along with adult animation and anime. HBO Max and Prime Video were top contenders for streaming films originally released in theatres, and Disney+ topped the list for kids' programming.

The report mentioned that at least 96% of television consumers had heard of Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max. In comparison, 85% or more know Peacock, Paramount+, Discovery+, Apple TV+, ESPN+, and AMC+. When it came to being able to describe what they do, consumers felt most confident with Netflix (80%), Prime Video (69%), Disney+ (66%), Hulu (65%), and HBO Max (58%).

Another key finding of the report was that consumers look at FASTs as one large category. However, except for Roku, people could not explain most ad-supported services, such as Tubi TV, Pluto TV, IMDb TV, Crackle, and XUMO. Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub and co-author of the study, said that TV services had boosted their ad spending in recent years. "As a result, virtually everyone has heard of most of the TV streamers in the market today. But those ad initiatives have not been nearly as successful in helping potential users understand why they should sign up for any given service," Fondulas added.

Also read: ESPN to Prioritize Adding More Live Sports Rights to ESPN+