How many people are actually paying for their streaming subscriptions?

In the United States, 86% of households have at least one streaming video service from fifteen top subscription video on-demand and direct-to-consumer (DTC) services, and 50% of households have four or more DTC streaming video services. However, not all DTC services are paid for directly by those who use them, according to new consumer research from Leichtman Research Group.

In fact, 68% of all DTC services are fully paid for and are not shared with others outside the household, while 27% of all DTC services are used in more than one household. Meanwhile, 13% of DTC services are used and paid for by those that also share them with someone outside the household, 12% are used in one household but are borrowed from another household that is paying for the service, 2% are used by multiple households that share costs, and 5% are not paid for because they come with another service.

At the same time, the study found out that among all ages 18-44, the mean number of DTC streaming services is 4.8 – compared to 4.0 among ages 45-54, and 2.5 among ages 55+. Adults ages 18-44 also account for 59% of all with a vMVPD pay-TV service. Moreover, 73% of subscribers are very satisfied with their service – compared to 77% in 2021, and 69% in 2018. In addition, 22% of all vMVPD services are shared by multiple households, including 8% of all vMVPD services that are fully paid for by someone outside the household.

Among ages 18-34, 17% of all DTC services are fully paid for by someone else – compared to 8% among ages 35+. Ages 18-34 account for 55% of all DTC services that are fully paid for by someone else. Specifically, 14% of consumers with Netflix have the service fully paid for by someone else – compared to 13% with HBO Max, and 12% with Hulu.

“About six out of every seven households now have a streaming video service, and half of all households have four or more streaming services. Yet, many of these services are being shared. Over one-quarter of all DTC services are shared with others outside the household, including 12% of all DTC services that are ‘borrowed’ from someone else’s subscription. Overall, 17% of households have at least one DTC service that is fully paid for by someone else,”  said Bruce Leichtman, President and Principal Analyst for Leichtman Research Group.

These findings are based on an online survey of 3.501 households from throughout the United States and are part of a new Leichtman Research Group study, “Internet-Delivered TV Services 2023.”  This is LRG’s sixth annual study focused on the vMVPD category, along with other DTC streaming video services.