• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 13, 2024

Streamers may be making less original TV and movie content, but consumers’s happiness and satisfaction with these growing digital video platforms is still growing.

New research shows nearly 80% of streaming subscribers/respondents say "their TV time spent watching TV shows they really like is higher now than four years ago,” according to Hub Entertainment Research.

That would be higher than the midst of the pandemic in 2020 -- where consumers spent much more time at home -- when it was 68%.

Although there may be less new content, 60% of viewers say their favorite shows are "older" TV series -- TV programs that have been on the air for several seasons so far -- compared to 54% three years ago.

At the same time, consumers see that many premium streamers are trimming back on originals.

Fifty-five percent of respondents say Netflix has more original content than other streamers: 60% a year ago, while Disney+ is at 34% (vs. 38% in 2023); Prime Video at 31% (vs. 32%) and Max at 22% (vs. 23%).

Still, all these streamers' 2024 results are higher compared to their respective levels in 2021. The only streamer that has made gains year over year is Hulu at 28% -- up from 27%.

Consumers are also seeing TV and movie content more easily moving around on platforms --with 60% saying they either somewhat or strongly agree they are seeing more shows available on different platforms than they originally aired on.

Hub says this is a direct result of “studios seeking more revenue by licensing their shows to other streamers and new FAST [free ad-supported/streaming television] services.”