Amazon Prime Video is beating the competition in terms of customer satisfaction. But other streaming services aren't far behind, a new survey shows, and ad-supported Crackle notched the biggest gains.
Amazon's score rose to 82 in 2024 from 80 in 2023, pulling ahead of the pack and breaking its tie with Hulu + Live TV that lost favor, the American Customer Satisfaction Index said. Close on its heels are Peacock and YouTube Premium, which both scored 80.
The scores are out of 100, examining the quality of apps, movie selection, ease of understanding billing and more, and based on interviews with 25,468 customers between April 2023 and March 2024.
The most improved streaming service was Crackle, growing to 75 from 70, followed by ESPN+, which grew to 75 from 72.
"Crackle’s substantial improvement signals that cost may start playing a larger role in the marketplace. After all, Gen Z and millennials already feel they are spending too much on streaming services," ASCI said, pointing to a 2024 Harris Poll for Tubi finding that 58% would rather watch ads than pay for ad-free streaming.
All scores improved or remained flat, except for Hulu + Live TV, which declined to 77 from 80.
Meanwhile, streaming companies are increasingly trying to win over customers with bundles, such as from Xfinity and a first-of-its-kind bundle between Disney+, Hulu and Max. Still, viewers can often save money by getting individual subscription deals.
“As more people embrace streaming options over bundled cable packages, this trend suggests that consumers are finding greater value in à la carte streaming services that let them customize their entertainment experiences,” said Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI.
“Streaming bundles, for example, are popping up left and right, offering customers even more ways to consume the content they desire. It will be important for cable providers to adapt to these changing viewing habits and preferences,” he added.