The 2022 TV panorama was outlined by worldwide growth, mergers, acquisitions and content material explosions (and reductions). With a tough first half of the yr for lots of the greatest companies in the marketplace, there was a definite shift in priorities away from subscriber development and towards income development.
As a part of Adweekâs year-in-review protection, we took a deep dive into the foremost streaming companies, how they examine on the finish of the yr and what 2023 may carry.
Listed below are our greatest takeaways from the state of streaming on the finish of 2022.
Disney blazes the best way
Although Netflix remains to be the worldâs largest streaming service, Disney is racing to the highest. Mixed, the Disney bundle (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+) reached 235 million subscriptions globally on the finish of its fiscal fourth quarterâan addition of 61 million in a yr.
The corporateâs flagship streamer Disney+ climbed to 164.2 million subscribers, up from the 118.1 million it had on the finish of 2021. Hulu and ESPN+ have 47.2 million and 24.3 million subscribers, respectively, and people companies are solely out there within the U.S.
However regardless of Disneyâs fast direct-to-consumer development, not all was clean crusing on the Home of Mouse in 2022. The corporateâs DTC sector misplaced $1.5 billion in income final quarterâand $4 billion over the past yr. Most of these losses got here from Disney+, spooking traders and the board alike and prompting the ousting of CEO Bob Chapek and the return of Bob Iger.
In early December, the corporate launched Disney+ Primaryâa $7.99 monthly ad-supported providing (presently solely out there within the U.S.)âwith the hopes {that a} lower-priced tier will usher in additional income from each advertisers and subscribers who is likely to be drawn to a less expensive choice.
Netflixâs 2022 struggles
Whereas Disney+âs numbers climbed, Netflixâs waned. Within the first quarter of 2022, not solely did Netflix lose subscribers for the primary time since 2011, it missed its projected 2.5 million web provides. Furthermore, it worsened within the second quarter, with Netflix shedding practically a million paying prospects.
After years of steadfast refusal, the corporate surprised the trade in April when it introduced it will add an ad-supported tier. Netflix launched Primary with Advertisements in November, solely six months after the corporate first talked about an providing. The brand new Netflix product beat Disney+ Primary to market by one month.
Issues circled for the streaming service within the second half of the yr, because it added 2.4 million subscribers to achieve 223.09 world prospects. The streamer completed with 214 million in 2021. As for the long run, Netflix is trying to develop its AVOD tier, add promoting capabilities and crack down on password sharing in 2023.
HBO Max makes modifications FAST
On the finish of 2021, we seen HBO Max as one of many fastest-growing streaming companies forward of WarnerMediaâs deliberate merger with Discovery. However now, months after the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, weâre left with extra questions than solutions.
CEO David Zaslav has now chosen to not escape separate subscriber numbers between HBO Max and Discovery+. Mixed, the companies have 94.9 million world subscribers, with sturdy development boosted by in style content material equivalent to Home of the Dragon and The White Lotus. These platforms will merge right into a single service by the spring. HBO and HBO Max final reported numbers with out Discovery+ within the first quarter, and had reached 76.8 million subscribers.
Issues will possible look very totally different at WBD within the subsequent few months as Zaslav works to focus on $3.5 billion in cost-saving synergies. Thatâs led to the cancelation of in style reveals equivalent to Westworld, Gordita Chronicles and The Time Travelerâs Spouseâand their full removing from the platform.
Whereas the 81 titles eliminated (thus far) may discover a new dwelling on FAST, the destiny of many reveals stays unsure.
Mountains of development
Itâs been an explosive yr for Paramount+. Because the streamer rebranded from CBS All Entry final yr, it broke out separate subscriber numbers for the primary time. Paramount+ started the yr with 32.8 million subscribers and is heading into 2023 with 46 million.
For comparability, on the finish of 2020, all of ViacomCBSâ streaming companies (CBS All Entry, Showtime, BET+ and others) mixed for 17.9 million subscribers. Now, Paramount has climbed to almost 67 million world direct-to-consumer subscribers.
The rumor is that Showtime and Paramount+ might mix right into a single service subsequent yr. The corporateâs already taken the primary steps, starting to bundle the 2 collectively.
Transparency is essential
A previously reticent participant, NBCUniversal modified gears this yr round its technique for Peacock.
The corporate shifted its focus from a free tier to its paid tier and broke out subscriber numbers for the primary time (having beforehand solely reported sign-ups).
Peacock surpassed 15 million paid customers general, with roughly 14 million further customers coming from bundled and paid choices, reaching 30 million whole prospects.
With Peacock lastly revealing its person numbers, we are able to solely hope Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ will observe swimsuit.
Within the three years since Apple TV+ rolled out, and with hits like Ted Lasso and Oscar-winning movies like CODA, the corporate nonetheless hasnât launched any onerous numbers round subscribers or sign-ups.
Prime Video additionally made a splash in 2022, turning into the unique dwelling of Thursday Night time Soccer and launching the blockbuster Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Energy.
We all know that the general Amazon Prime service has greater than 200 million subscribers, and the corporate mentioned that Rings of Energy was seen by greater than 100 million individuals worldwide. However with little info on the market, itâs unclear which is the one streamer to rule all of them.
