The streaming business is extremely competitive, with Disney+ and Hulu competing with Netflix, Prime Video, Max and others, which has resulted in many of the streaming services consolidating together, such as Paramount+ with Showtime, and HBO Max with Discovery+.

Disney has also announced that later this year, a new one-app experience will launch, that will see Hulu available within Disney+ in the United States, which will allow Disney+ users with a Hulu subscription via their bundle access to content like “Dopesick” and “The Dropout”, bringing Disney+ in the United States almost inline with the international offering.

And some recent data from JustWatch, showcases why this is going to be a huge help to Disney, and the data showcases what market share, each of the streaming services has in the United States, as of the second quarter of 2023.

SVOD market shares in Q2 2023

Prime Video continues to hold down the streaming crown in the US with a 1% lead over global giant, Netflix. Major players: Max and Disney+ also face similar challenges, with a 2% gap separating the two.  It’s always worth noting that Prime Video numbers are always a little more difficult to compare, since there are many subscribers to Prime, to get other benefits such as free shipping and other promotions.

If you take Disney+ and Hulu combined, they would have 24% of the market, becoming the largest streaming service in the United States, since the two together, would offer much more variety in terms of content.  Disney+ in the United States is lacking in general entertainment content for teenagers and adults, and content from Hulu will fill the void for.

Market share development in 2023

This data also shows how the newly rebranded streaming services Max (formerly HBO Max) displays positive development, gaining +1%; with Paramount+ also winning with a +1% increase in shares following the addition of Showtime to the platform. On the other hand, Disney+ and Hulu drop in shares, suffering -1% losses each.  It will be interesting to see if a combined single app experience within Disney+, will give it a much-needed boost in the arm, but it is likely not going to be known for a while or until a full complete merger is done, once Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu is brought out in 2024.

The market share of both Disney+ and Hulu did dip in the last quarter in the last quarter, which is the opposite of all of the other streaming services, which generally went up, so a merging of Disney+ and Hulu would indicate a way to help combat the growth of other streaming services, but making sure there is less churn of existing subscribers, while also appealing to newer subscribers.

Do you think a merged Disney+ and Hulu will help improve Disney’s market share of the streaming business?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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