--- title: "Netflix vs Disney+ vs Amazon Prime Statistics 2026: Viewer Insights" date: 2026-07-16 author: "Robert A. Lee" featured_image: "https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/netflix-vs-disney-vs-amazon-prime-statistics.jpg" categories: - name: "Internet" url: "/internet.md" tags: - name: "Statistics" url: "/tag/statistics.md" --- # Netflix vs Disney+ vs Amazon Prime Statistics 2026: Viewer Insights Netflix reported **$12.25 billion** in Q1 2026 revenue, **16%** higher than the **$10.54 billion** it reported in the year-ago quarter, setting a new financial bar that Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video have to chase from very different starting points. Each of the three streaming giants now publishes a different headline metric: Netflix counts paid memberships, [Amazon](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/amazon-statistics/) counts monthly viewers on the ad tier, and Disney has stopped reporting subscriber counts altogether. The figures below cover paid memberships, ad-tier monthly active users, revenue, pricing, churn, content spend, regional mix and US TV viewing share. The disclosure gap forces analysts to compare three different denominators, and our platform statistics coverage suggests engagement depth now matters more than headline subscriber growth. ## Key Takeaways - Netflix paid memberships exceeded **325 million** globally, the largest paid base of any of the three platforms in Q1 2026. - Disney reported **132 million** Disney+ subscribers at the close of fiscal Q4 2025 before retiring quarterly subscriber disclosure for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ from Q1 FY2026 onward. - Amazon Prime Video’s ad-supported tier reached **315 million** monthly viewers globally, measured on internal data through August 2025. - Netflix’s ad plan represented over 60% of all Q1 sign-ups within its ad countries, confirming ad-tier dominance of new growth. - Antenna’s premium SVOD category posted a Weighted Average Churn Rate for the category hit a steady **4.6%** in 2025, with total Subscribers grew +7% in 2025, down from 12% in 2024. - Amazon outspent Netflix on content for the second straight year, with **$22.4 billion** on video and music content in 2025, up 10% from $20.4 billion spent in 2024. ## Editor’s Choice - Netflix Q1 2026 operating income reached **$3,957 million**, up 18% year over year, with an operating margin of 32.3%. - Disney+ and Hulu combined Q1 FY2026 streaming revenue hit **$5.35 billion**, up 11%, and operating income zoomed 72% to $450 million. - Netflix US pricing climbed to $8.99/month for Standard with Ads, **$19.99** for Standard, and **$26.99** for Premium after the March 2026 hike. - Netflix’s ad-supported tier reached more than **190 million** monthly active viewers globally as of November 2025. - Disney+ has **59.3 million** customers in the United States and Canada, and **72.4 million** internationally. - Streaming captured **41.9%** of US TV viewing in February 2026, with cable at **20.0%** and broadcast at **21.7%**. ## Recent Developments - **April 2026 earnings results:** Q1 revenue grew 16% versus the prior year quarter, while operating income rose 18%, and the platform reaffirmed full-year revenue guidance of Netflix expects full-year 2026 revenue of $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion. - **March 2026 pricing change:** Netflix recently raised its Standard With Ads plan to $8.99/month, up $1 from $7.99 previously, and the Premium plan to $26.99/month, up $2 from $24.99. - February 2026 disclosure shift, per Variety reporting: Disney no longer discloses Disney+ and Hulu subscriber or revenue figures starting with the Q1 2026 earnings report, following the August 2025 announcement that those metrics had become less meaningful. - **February 2026 retention data from Antenna:** Premium SVODs drove 31% of annual Gross Adds and 57% of Net Adds in Q4 in 2025. - **January 2026 viewing milestone, according to Nielsen:** streaming hit 47.0% of U.S. TV viewing, the highest share ever recorded in Nielsen’s The Gauge. - Late 2025 ad-tier reach, per The Hollywood Reporter coverage of Amazon disclosure: Amazon claims Prime Video’s ad-supported tier reached 315 million monthly viewers globally, based on internal data through August 2025, up from 200 million monthly viewers announced in April 2024. ## Subscriber and Member Counts The headline subscriber question now has three different answers. Netflix discloses paid memberships globally, Amazon discloses ad-tier monthly viewers, and Disney retired its subscriber disclosure entirely after fiscal Q4 of 2025. - Netflix paid memberships exceeded **325 million** globally as of Q1 2026, the lead figure in our [Netflix subscriber data](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/netflix-statistics/) tracking. - Disney+ stood at 132 million Disney+ subscribers, an increase of 3.8 million vs. Q3 fiscal 2025 in its final disclosed quarter. - Disney+ and Hulu combined to 196 million Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, an increase of 12.4 million vs. Q3 fiscal 2025. - Amazon Prime membership is widely estimated to be between **220 million** and **250 million** paying members globally as of early 2026, although Amazon does not publish a precise quarterly figure. - Prime Video’s ad-tier reach is 315 million monthly viewers globally, a viewer-count metric, not a paying-subscriber count, and the same lens our [Amazon Prime Video statistics](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/amazon-prime-video-statistics/) tracker now uses. - Netflix’s ad tier alone reached more than 190 million monthly active viewers globally as of November 2025. PlatformHeadline Reported MetricQ1 2026 ValueLast RefreshNetflixPaid memberships, global325 millionQ1 2026 (Apr 2026)Disney+Paid subscribers, global (last reported)132 millionQ4 FY2025 (Sept 2025)Disney+ and Hulu combinedPaid subscriptions, global (last reported)196 millionQ4 FY2025 (Sept 2025)Amazon Prime VideoAd-tier monthly viewers, global315 millionThrough August 2025Netflix ad tierAd-tier monthly active viewers, global190 millionNovember 2025*Source: Netflix Q1 2026 Shareholder Letter, Walt Disney Company FY2025 earnings, Amazon / Hollywood Reporter* > **By the numbers:** Netflix Q1 2026 disclosed paid memberships exceeded 325 million globally, while Disney’s last reported figure was 132 million Disney+ subscribers at end of Q4 FY2025. The two companies are no longer reporting on the same cadence or even the same metric, which makes any “who has more subscribers” comparison structurally noisy across the streaming category. ## Streaming Revenue and Operating Margin Revenue is where the three platforms diverge most starkly. Netflix is a pure streaming company; Disney’s DTC numbers blend Disney+, Hulu and ESPN; Amazon does not report Prime Video as a standalone segment. - Netflix Q1 2026 pushed revenue to **$12.25 billion**, a 16% increase compared to the same period last year. - Netflix Q1 Operating income came in at **$3,957 million**, up 18% year over year, with an operating margin of 32.3%. - Disney’s Q1 FY2026 Total revenue for Disney+ and Hulu was **$5.35 billion**, up 11%, and operating income zoomed 72% to **$450 millio**n. - Disney expects entertainment streaming to see an operating margin of 10% for the full-year fiscal 2026. - Disney’s full fiscal year 2025 group revenue was **$94.4 billion** from **$91.4 billion** in the prior year, **3%** higher year over year. - Netflix reaffirmed Netflix expects full-year 2026 revenue of **$50.7 billion** to **$51.7 billion.** PlatformStreaming Revenue (latest quarter)Operating IncomeOperating MarginNetflix$12.25 billion (Q1 2026)$3.957 billion32.3%Disney+ and Hulu$5.35 billion (Q1 FY2026)$450 million~8.4% (segment)Amazon Prime VideoNot separately disclosedNot separately disclosedNot separately disclosed*Source: Netflix Investor Relations, The Walt Disney Company press release* Netflix’s operating margin runs more than triple Disney’s streaming guidance for the same year, and Amazon does not break out Prime Video as a standalone segment. ## Average Revenue Per User and Pricing Tiers ARPU disclosure has thinned across the category, and direct ARPU comparison is no longer possible without analyst-side modelling. - Netflix US Standard with Ads costs $8.99/month after the March 2026 hike. - Netflix US Standard (no ads) is **$19.99 per month**, with the Premium plan at **$26.99/month**, up **$2 from $24.99**. - The March 2026 increase represents an 11% increase on average across the product suite. - Disney announced in August 2025 that it would no longer disclose quarterly subscriber counts and ARPU figures for Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+. - Disney explained the change by saying those metrics have become less meaningful to evaluating the performance of our businesses. - Amazon Prime Video’s stand-alone [subscription](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/subscription-economy-statistics/) costs **$8.99 per month** in the US, with the ad-free upgrade adding an extra **$2.99 per month**. ![Streaming Subscription Prices Compared (US)](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/streaming-subscription-prices-compared-us.jpg "Streaming Subscription Prices Compared (US)") ## Ad-Supported Tier Adoption and Growth Ad tiers have moved from side experiment to primary growth engine for every major platform, displacing the premium tier as the new-subscriber default. - Netflix’s ad plan represented **over 60%** of all Q1 sign-ups within its ad countries. - Netflix’s ad-supported tier reached more than 190 million monthly active viewers globally as of November 2025. - In the US specifically, **45%** of Netflix households in the United States now watch on the ad-supported tier, up from **34%** in the United States in 2024. - Netflix’s advertising business is on course to reach approximately $3 billion in annual revenue, doubling year over year. - Netflix now work with **over 4,000** advertisers, up 70% year over year. - Amazon Prime Video’s ad tier covers 315 million monthly viewers globally across 16 countries. - The US ad-tier audience for Prime Video stands at **over** **130 million** U.S. customers, up from 115 million recorded in 2024. - Disney has reported that approximately two-thirds of new Disney+ subscribers chose the ad-supported tier in 2025. PlatformAd Tier MAU (Global)Ad Tier US ReachAd Tier Share of Sign-upsNetflix190 million (Nov 2025)45% of US householdsover 60% in ad countries (Q1 2026)Amazon Prime Video315 million (Aug 2025)over 130 million US customersDefault-on for all Prime membersDisney+Not disclosed publiclyNot disclosed publiclyapproximately two-thirds of new subs (2025)*Source: Netflix Q1 2026 Shareholder Letter, Hollywood Reporter, Apprupt* > **Key finding:** Antenna’s Q1 2026 report shows Premium SVODs drove 31% of annual Gross Adds and 57% of Net Adds in Q4 in 2025, and the bulk of those adds across Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video came in through ad-supported plans rather than ad-free premium tiers, which makes the ad tier the hot growth surface. Ad-tier dominance reshapes pricing strategy across all three platforms. Netflix uses ad-tier penetration to justify hiking the premium tier, Amazon uses default-on ads to monetize the entire Prime base, and Disney pushes new subscribers toward the ad tier through bundle pricing. ## Content Spend and Library Investment Netflix is no longer the biggest content spender, and the comparison is not strictly like-for-like because Amazon’s figure bundles music content and Disney’s bundles theatrical releases. - Amazon spent **$22.4 billion** on video and music content in 2025, up 10% from $20.4 billion spent in 2024. - Amazon’s 2025 spend was almost 25% more than Netflix’s **$18 billion**. - The streaming category as a whole is projected to push content spending to grow 6% to $95 billion in 2025, from **$89.6 billion** in 2024, a level we cover in depth via our [streaming market statistics](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/streaming-statistics/) hub. - Disney’s 2025 cash content budget is guided to roughly **$23 billion**, the highest absolute commitment in the category, although that figure spans theatrical, linear and DTC. - Netflix’s **$18** **billion** in 2025 yields the highest content spend per paying subscriber across the three platforms once paid memberships of **325** **million** are taken into account. - Library size estimates vary by methodology, but Prime Video tends to be the largest US catalogue by raw title count, Netflix the most aggressive on new originals each quarter, and Disney+ the smallest catalogue with the deepest IP per title. ![Streaming Content Spend By Platform](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/streaming-content-spend-by-platform.jpg "Streaming Content Spend by Platform") ## Churn Rates and Subscriber Retention Premium SVOD churn stabilized after climbing for two years, and Antenna’s data covers Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Apple TV+ and Prime Video collectively. - Antenna posted a Weighted Average Churn Rate for the category, which hit a steady **4.6%** for 2025. - Across the category, total Subscribers grew **+7%** in 2025, down from 12% in 2024. - Growth of Gross Additions also slowed to **+7%** in 2025, a YoY decrease of -4pts compared to FY2024. - Antenna also notes that 7 of 9 services showed more stable churn patterns in 2025 versus 2023, a stabilization that mirrors the engagement-over-growth pattern documented in our [Apple Music subscriber data](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/apple-music-statistics/) coverage. - Netflix has historically posted the lowest churn in the category, generally below the 4.6% category average, supported by the deepest content library and bundled long-term commitments. - **Disney’s bundled product is the retention story:** subscribers on the Disney+ / Hulu / ESPN bundle churn at materially lower rates than any single Disney+ standalone tier. Platform TierApproximate 2025 Monthly Churn (Antenna estimate)Retention DriverNetflix (all plans)Below 4.6% category averageLibrary breadth, password-sharing crackdownDisney+ standaloneAt or above 4.6% category averageSingle-IP tentpole release cadenceDisney bundle (Disney+ / Hulu / ESPN+)Materially below standaloneMulti-app utilityAmazon Prime VideoBundled with Prime; standalone churn lowPrime shipping retention halo*Source: Antenna Q1’26 State of Subscriptions Report* > **Worth noting:** SQ Magazine’s editorial view across our streaming statistics pages: bundled retention now beats best-in-class single-app retention. The 4.6% category churn average masks a wide spread between bundled subscribers (well under 3% in many quarters) and standalone ad-tier subscribers (often above 6%). The headline rate hides where the actual loyalty lives. ## Geographic Distribution and Regional Mix Netflix’s regional disclosure is the most granular of the three. Disney provides a US vs. international split for Disney+ in its last full disclosure. Amazon does not publish Prime Video membership by region. - **Netflix Q1 2026 regional revenue split:** UCAN **$5,245,298** (14% growth), EMEA **$3,998,419** (17% growth), LATAM **$1,497,058** (19% growth), APAC **$1,508,982** (20% growth). - LATAM and APAC posted the fastest revenue growth, both above **19%**, while UCAN remains the largest revenue segment. - Disney+ at the close of Q4 FY2025 had **59.3 million** customers in the United States and Canada, and 72.4 million internationally. - That gives Disney+ a roughly **45/55** US-Canada to international mix, the inverse of Netflix’s revenue mix, where North America still drives the largest dollar share. - Amazon Prime Video’s ad-tier coverage spans 16 countries, with the US share at **over 130 million** U.S. customers of the 315 million monthly viewers globally. ![Netflix Revenue By Region](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/netflix-revenue-by-region.jpg "Netflix Revenue by Region") ## US TV Viewing Share, Nielsen Gauge Nielsen’s The Gauge measures total US TV usage by source across streaming, broadcast and cable, and shows streaming holding the lead it took over combined linear TV through early 2026. - In December 2025, streaming shattered multiple records in December 2025 with **47.5%** of TV viewing per Nielsen’s The Gauge. - January 2026 followed with a streaming hit**47.0%** of U.S. TV viewing, the highest share ever recorded in Nielsen’s The Gauge. - February 2026 showed streaming at **41.9%**, broadcast at **21.7%**, and cable at **20.0%** as the Super Bowl pulled audiences toward broadcast. - Cable’s **20.0%** February share is the lowest that category has held in Nielsen’s published Gauge data. - At the platform level for February 2026, Netflix held **8.5%** of total US TV usage. Amazon Prime Video held **3.6%**. Disney+ held **1.9%** as a standalone share. - NBCUniversal-Versant captured **13.1%** of total TV usage in February 2026, dethroning YouTube’s **12.7%** on the strength of Super Bowl and Olympic broadcast windows, a viewing-window pattern echoed in our [music streaming statistics](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/music-streaming-statistics/) coverage. ![US TV Usage Share by Platform](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/us-tv-usage-share-by-platform.jpg "US TV Usage Share by Platform") ## Bundle and Account-Sharing Strategy Each platform pulls a different lever to tighten monetization: Netflix ended unauthorized account sharing, Disney leaned into bundling, and Amazon uses retail Prime as lock-in. - Netflix’s Q1 2026 advertiser base hit **over 4,000 advertisers**, up 70% year over year, reflecting a year of post-paid-sharing scaling. - Netflix’s ad plan, priced at **$8.99** in the US, remains very popular and is the on-ramp from previously shared accounts. - Disney’s Q1 FY2026 streaming operating income jumped on bundling, and the operating income zoomed **72%** to **$450 million** line shows what tighter monetization looks like at scale. - Disney expects entertainment streaming to see an operating margin of **10%** for full-year fiscal 2026, the first full year above break-even at this scale. - Amazon’s lock-in is not a bundle in the streaming sense; it is the Prime shipping benefit that subsidizes Prime Video viewership. > **The takeaway:** Netflix used a paid-sharing crackdown and an ad-tier launch to add roughly more than 190 million monthly active viewers globally as of November 2025 on the ad tier and over 4,000 advertisers, up 70% year over year within roughly two years; Disney went the bundle route, where the combined Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN bundle now drives the lowest per-app churn in the company’s portfolio; Amazon kept Prime Video bolted to retail, where ad inventory turns on by default. ## Three-Way Head-to-Head Snapshot Table The table below consolidates the load-bearing comparable figures across the three platforms, with the caveat that **3 of the 11 rows** are not strictly like-for-like. MetricNetflixDisney+Amazon Prime VideoHeadline metric (latest)**325 million** paid memberships**132 million** paid subs (last reported)**315 million** ad-tier monthly viewersLatest revenue period**$12.25 billion** (Q1 2026, streaming-only)**$5.35 billion** (Q1 FY2026, Disney+ and Hulu combined)Not separately disclosedOperating income (latest)**$3.957 billion****$450 million**Not separately disclosedOperating margin guidance32.3% (Q1 actual)10% (FY2026 guidance)Not separately disclosed2025 content spend$18 billion~$23 billion (group)$22.4 billion (video + music)US ad-tier price$8.99 / month$9.99 / monthDefault with $14.99 / month PrimeUS Standard / no-ads price$19.99 / month$15.99 / month+$2.99 / month upgradeAd-tier MAU (global)190 millionNot disclosed315 millionUS share of TV usage (Feb 2026)8.5%1.9%3.6%Region disclosureUCAN / EMEA / LATAM / APAC quarterlyUS-Canada vs international (frozen at FY2025)None separately disclosed*Source: Netflix Investor Relations, The Walt Disney Company, Amazon, Nielsen, Antenna* ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) **Which streaming platform has the most subscribers right now?**Netflix has the most directly disclosed paid subscriber base. Paid memberships exceeded 325 million globally as of Q1 2026, per the Netflix shareholder letter. Disney+ last disclosed 132 million Disney+ subscribers at Q4 FY2025 and has since stopped reporting subscriber counts. Amazon Prime Video reports a different metric, ad-tier monthly viewers, which reached 315 million monthly viewers globally through August 2025. **Why did Disney stop reporting Disney+ subscribers?**On August 6, 2025, Disney announced it would no longer disclose quarterly subscriber counts and ARPU figures for Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+ from Q1 FY2026 onward. The company said those metrics have become less meaningful to evaluating the performance of our businesses, with revenue and operating income now serving as the primary disclosed indicators for the streaming segment. **Which platform spends the most on content?**Amazon led the category with $22.4 billion on video and music content in 2025, up 10% from $20.4 billion spent in 2024 and almost 25% more than Netflix’s $18 billion. Disney’s cash content budget was guided to approximately $23 billion for the same year, although that figure spans theatrical, linear and direct-to-consumer combined, which makes it less directly comparable to pure-streaming spend. **How much does Netflix cost in the US in 2026?**Netflix recently raised its Standard With Ads plan to $8.99/month, up $1 from $7.99 previously, and the Premium plan to $26.99/month, up $2 from $24.99, with Standard without ads at $19.99 per month. The hike represents an 11% increase on average across the product suite and is the second US price rise in under two years. **Which platform has the lowest churn rate?**Antenna’s premium SVOD category posted a Weighted Average Churn Rate for the category hit a steady 4.6% in 2025. Netflix has historically held below the category average, supported by deep library breadth. Disney’s bundled product, Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+, shows materially lower churn than any single Disney+ standalone tier, while standalone ad-tier subscribers across the category tend to churn above the average. **How many people watch ads on Netflix and Prime Video?**Netflix’s ad-supported tier reached more than 190 million monthly active viewers globally as of November 2025, with 45% of Netflix households in the United States now watching on the ad-supported tier, up from 34% in 2024. Amazon Prime Video’s ad-supported tier reached 315 million monthly viewers globally, including over 130 million U.S. customers, up from 115 million recorded in 2024. Both platforms’ ad-tier data feed into our programmatic advertising statistics tracker. ## Conclusion The three-way streaming comparison has structurally shifted in recent years. Netflix retains the cleanest quarterly disclosure with paid memberships exceeding **325 million** globally and **$12.25 billion** in Q1 2026 revenue, the same headline figure that opened this comparison. Disney has stepped back from quarterly subscriber transparency, leaving the **132 million** Disney+ subscribers figure frozen at Q4 FY2025 while it pivots to revenue and operating-margin disclosure. Amazon has never reported Prime Video as a standalone segment, and now leads on a different metric entirely, the **315 million** monthly viewers globally; its ad tier reaches across **16 countries**. The ad tier is where the three platforms now compete most directly. Netflix’s ad plan represented over 60% of all Q1 sign-ups within its ad countries, Amazon’s default-on model puts ads in front of effectively the entire Prime base, and approximately two-thirds of new Disney+ subscribers chose the ad-supported tier in 2025. Across our platform statistics coverage, this is the clearest pattern we have tracked: the year ahead in the streaming wars will be fought on ad-tier monetization and bundled retention, not raw paid-subscriber bragging rights.