Analysis: Premium Streamers Lose $80 Million In 'Churn' Loss In April

HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ lost a combined $80.2 million in “churn” subscriber losses in April 2021 alone, according to estimates from Wurl Analytics, a streaming analytics service part of Wurl, a streaming TV technology company.

While premium video streamers continue to show overall net subscriber growth, “churn” also exists -- monthly users who decide to opt out on a month-to-month basis.

The company did not offer any data comparative to earlier periods.

In April, Wurl says, HBO Max lost $33.1 million, while Netflix lost $17.3 million, Hulu lost $15.1 million; and Disney+ lost $14.7 million.

Among premium streamers, the average monthly “churn” rates -- the percentage of existing subscribers who stopped their subscription -- ranges between 2% and 7%.

Premium streamers count on the net growth of rising subscribers.

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Concerns over churn subscriber have been the focus of cable networks for decades -- especially premium cable channels such as HBO and Showtime.

Over the next three years -- 2021 and 2024 -- Wurl estimates Disney+ will have a global “churn” loss of 333.1 million subscribers. It will need to attract 472.5 million subscribers to reach its target of between 230 million and 260 million global subscribers by the end of 2024.

HBO Max will need to acquire 302.6 million new global subscribers in that period -- to counter an expected 150 million subscribers in churn loss.

Over the next three years, all ViacomCBS’ streaming services -- including Paramount+ and Pluto TV -- will need 210.4 million additions to obtain a 150 million subscribers target by 2025.

1 comment about "Analysis: Premium Streamers Lose $80 Million In 'Churn' Loss In April".
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  1. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, August 30, 2021 at 2:36 p.m.

    Until these services offer enforceable  long term contracts to  subscribers---even it this means a loss in subscribers, "churn" will continue. Why not---as there is no penalty for dropping out? As for the predictions of total subscriber losses over the next three years  I assume that there is duplication in those estimates. In other words a Disney subscriber may drop in and out again---perhaps many times--over the course of the three years---under the current system. So a projected "churn" loss of 333 million subs may actually net out to only  100 million different homes.

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