Antenna says 71% of new streaming adds are ad plans
Data from Antenna reveals that 71% of the 71.8 million net new U.S. streaming subscriptions between Q1 2023 and Q1 2025 were to ad-supported tiers. As of March 2025, 46% of all U.S. SVOD subscriptions are ad-supported, with 65% of new ad-supported subscribers being new users, 23% 'win backs,' and 11% 'traders' switching from ad-free plans. These figures underscore the growing importance of advertising for streaming platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Antenna says 51.4 million of 71.8 million net new U.S. streaming subscriptions since Q1 2023 were ad-supported.
- Ad-supported tiers accounted for 71% of net new U.S. streaming subscriptions between Q1 2023 and Q1 2025.
- As of March 2025, 46% of all U.S. SVOD subscriptions were ad-supported.
- In Q1 2025, 65% of ad-supported subscriptions were new users, 23% were win backs, and 11% were traders.
- The data covered Discovery+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount+ and Peacock, but not Amazon Prime Video.
Why It Matters
The immediate takeaway is that ad-supported plans are now the main source of subscriber growth across major U.S. SVOD services, not a side offering. That matters because streaming platforms are increasingly treating ads as a core monetization layer as linear TV weakens, and Antenna’s data shows consumers are accepting lower-priced, ad-supported access. The next signal to watch is how the mix breaks down after March 2025, especially whether ad-supported tiers stay near 46% of total U.S. SVOD subscriptions.
Read full article at thecurrent.com