Parks Associates has released its list of the top 10 U.S. subscription streaming video services, which could change drastically by this time next year.
The usual suspects topped the list again, with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and HBO Now maintaining the top four spots in that order. The analyst firm said CBS All Access made the biggest move, jumping up to fifth place this year after occupying the eighth spot in 2018.
But the list this year is based on subscriber totals as of October 2019, so it does not yet include Disney+ or Apple TV+, both of which launched in early November. Neither one has publicly disclosed subscriber totals yet, but the early sign-up total for Disney+, which Disney disclosed one day after the service’s launch, could potentially vault the service way up the list.
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"The Walt Disney Company announced it had reached 10 million subscribers upon initial launch, which would put its Disney+ service fourth on the list, ahead of HBO Now," said Brett Sappington, senior research director and principal analyst at Parks Associates, in a statement. "Their entry, along with Apple TV+ and other direct-to-consumer services upcoming in 2020, has been a major disruptor to the OTT space and will require all players from top to bottom to ensure they are delivering unique value to their subscribers in order to retain their base."
Elsewhere on the list, MLB.TV dropped from sixth to eighth place, despite having gained subscribers since 2018, and Sling TV has stayed in the top ten with more than 2.5 million subscribers, retaining its position as the top virtual MVPD service in the U.S.
Other services on the list include Starz (at sixth), Showtime (at seventh) and ESPN+ (at ninth).
"Consumers continue to sign up for multiple OTT video services. If this trend holds, many services can continue to grow as the market grows. However, a slowdown will suggest that consumers are finally drawing the line on the amount they will spend each month,” Sappington said.