Big Three Viewing Shrinks—Ad Tiers Become the New Default
Digital-i’s "Streaming in Flux: 2025 in Review" reports that total viewing hours across Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video fell from 39.5 billion in Q1 2023 to 36.0 billion in Q4 2025 across 15 countries including major markets in Europe and North America. The decline was led by reduced Netflix usage, though Digital-i analysts say it is beginning to stabilize, while Disney+ and Prime Video narrowed the gap via increased usage metrics. The report also notes broad adoption growth for cheaper ad-supported tiers, with all three platforms up 8–9% year over year and Prime Video having the highest ad-tier share at 86%.
Key Takeaways
- Total viewing for Netflix/Disney+/Prime dropped ~9% from Q1’23 to Q4’25 (39.5B → 36.0B hours) in 15 measured markets.
- Netflix drove most of the decline, though Digital-i suggests usage is beginning to stabilize.
- Disney+ accelerated engagement (+47.6% average daily minutes per user), tightening the distance to Netflix on usage metrics.
- Prime Video grew to 6.9B viewing hours and has the highest ad-tier penetration: 86% of users on ad-supported plans.
- Ad-supported adoption is rising across the board (+8–9% YoY), reinforcing price sensitivity and ad monetization as core growth levers.
Why It Matters
This is the “attention recession” showing up in the data: even the category leaders can’t assume limitless viewing growth. If hours are flattening or shrinking, revenue expansion leans harder on ad load, yield, and retention—not just new subs. Prime’s 86% ad-tier share signals a new baseline where ads aren’t a downgrade, they’re the default. For strategists, that raises the stakes on ad-tech performance, measurement credibility, and content programming that sustains daily minutes. For investors, the key question shifts from “who wins subs?” to “who monetizes time best?”
Read full article at tvbeurope.com
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