Reality of Global Streaming Market May Fall Short of Forecasts

If you believe all the projections from big entertainment companies and Wall Street analysts, the number of people globally signing up for one of the video streaming services from Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia and Netflix will reach roughly 600 million by the mid-2020s—nearly four times the number who now pay for Netflix alone. 

Throw in rough estimates for the number of Amazon Prime Video subscribers as well as how many people will get free access to NBCUniversal’s forthcoming Peacock service, and the number rises closer to 750 million. That’s the equivalent of nearly two services for each household with “fixed line” broadband in the U.S., Western Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. While that seems believable for the U.S. market, it may be more challenging in other parts of the world—particularly given that many of those households already have access to local streaming services and other sources of TV.