The State of Video Streaming in the United States

Over the past few years, the rise of video streaming platforms has brought about significant changes in how we consume movies and TV shows. Not only have Netflix, Amazon Prime and Co. freed us from the shackles of linear TV, they also introduced us to the pleasure of binge-watching, i.e. watching several episodes of a TV show in one sitting. Collins English Dictionary even went as far as making "binge-watch" their 2015 Word of the Year, stating that the rise in usage of the term is “clearly linked to the biggest sea change in our viewing habits since the advent of the video recorder nearly 40 years ago”.

According to data published by Nielsen, 48 percent of U.S. households had access to at least one video streaming service in the fourth quarter of 2015, up from 40 percent a year earlier. Netflix is the undisputed market leader with a household penetration of 44 percent, ahead of Amazon Video and Hulu Plus which 19 and 10 percent of households subscribe to, respectively.