Today, at JUMP Data-Driven Video, the most efficient platform to offer audience insights for pay TV, we are talking about the best SVODs, what the public is looking for from these platforms and why some work better than others.
How to rank the best SVODs
According to the latest report published by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Disney + has managed, in just 6 months since its launch, to unseat Netflix as the SVOD service best valued by its customers, achieving a Consumer Satisfaction Index of 80%, 2 points above Netflix, which in the last year has lost 1%, bringing it to 78%.
The key? Likely Disney’s broad and diverse catalog, which includes content from Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic and the Star Wars universe. Netflix, on the other hand, has announced in recent months a subscription price rise in the United States at the same time as their catalog has lost great titles, as giants like Disney or Warner Media have withdrawn their best content to offer them directly on their own platforms.
Amazon Prime Video continues another year to have a consumer satisfaction index of 76% and Apple TV + appears for the first time in the ACSI classification, at a score below the average (74%), on par with other services like Google Play and HBO.
Overall, the 5 things most customers most value from a streaming platform are: the quality of the platform’s mobile app, the ease of understanding the invoice, the reliability of the app (that it doesn’t get hung up, for example), the quality of its website, and the ease of use of the menus and programming guides.
Interestingly, the number of TV programs offered, and the quality of the original content produced by the platform do not appear until points 7 and 8 in the ranking of the main concerns of consumers regarding SVOD platforms.
What is the best SVOD?
Netflix is possibly the best-known streaming provider today. However, the company founded in California in 1997 began as a small nationwide DVD-by-mail service, not specializing until years later in what defines it today. Since then, the number of Netflix streaming subscribers has seen a steady increase, already surpassing the 190 million mark. This is because, while a significant portion of its subscribers are still in the United States, the company’s presence extends beyond US borders. Some of the most important markets for Netflix within Europe include Norway, the United Kingdom and Denmark, with penetration in all of them greater than 80%. This global expansion has had a direct impact on the platform’s annual revenues, which have quadrupled in the last seven years.
Europe, key to Netflix’s growth despite continued US dominance.
Within this growth, the old continent plays a prominent role. Since its launch in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2012, the number of Netflix subscribers in Europe has exceeded 50 million, offering its streaming service to more than fifteen countries within the European territory.
Nevertheless, the United States remains Netflix’s most important regional market. The streaming provider is a leader in the US market, with a strong presence in large cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and New York. Netflix’s main competitors in the market for subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services in the United States are Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus and the new bet of the animation giant Disney +. Even so, Netflix already has more than 70 million subscribers in the US market and in 2020 alone, Netflix’s revenue was more than $10.5 billion.
Original programming: the major gamble
But, without a doubt, one of the strengths of Netflix is its original programming. In fact, for about 40% of Americans it is the service that offers the best proprietary content today. Of course, as is usually the case in the audiovisual entertainment industry, the opinions of critics and audience don’t always coincide. While Julie & the Phantoms and Lenox Hill are among the audience’s top picks, critics prefer The Baby-Sitters Club and Feel Good.
Netflix original series and movies have also made it to the great awards ceremonies. With Roma, for the first time a feature film not intended for the big screen was recognized by the American Academy of Cinema in 2019. Since then, Netflix has constantly been in the running, becoming the most nominated studio of the 93rd edition of the Oscars. Its television content won the most awards at the 2021 Golden Globes and won a total of 21 Emmys in its last edition.
