Netflix continues to dominate SVOD space

Netflix accounted for 90% of subscription video streams in the US in the first quarter of the year, according to NPD stats.

The research firm said that though this was down four percentage points on last year, the total number of viewers watching TV shows using SVOD services increased 34% year-on-year.

NPD said that in the TV category alone, which accounts for 80% of subscription streams, Netflix holds an 89% share, compared to Hulu Plus with 10% and Amazon Prime with just 2%.

“There’s no doubt that Netflix is driving the growth in SVOD, particularly with increased attention to television programming. We are also seeing good gains in the streaming numbers from Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime, and while neither pose an immediate threat to Netflix it is interesting to see which services later adopters will try,” said Russ Crupnick, senior VP, industry analysis at NPD.

In Q1 2013, 67% of SVOD subscribers streamed only from Netflix, compared to 76% in Q1 2012. Also this year, 10% of SVOD streamers used both Netflix and Amazon Prime, and 8% used both Netflix and Hulu.