The average American subscribes to 4.5 streaming services and spends $52/month on video streaming alone. Here is the full breakdown by demographics.
Netflix dominates with 78% household penetration. Amazon Prime Video is second at 62%, largely because it comes bundled with Prime shipping. After the top two, penetration drops significantly.
Younger adults subscribe to significantly more streaming services than older adults. The gap between the youngest and oldest groups is nearly double.
The 25-34 age group leads in both service count and monthly spend. Younger adults (18-24) subscribe to many services but spend less due to ad-supported tiers and shared family plans.
Income is the strongest predictor of how many streaming services a household subscribes to. High-income households subscribe to nearly three times as many services as low-income households.
Households earning $150K+ subscribe to nearly 3x more streaming services than those earning under $30K. Higher-income households are also far more likely to choose ad-free tiers.
The US leads the world in streaming service adoption, but other markets are catching up rapidly, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Subscription stacking describes the tendency for people to add new streaming services without canceling old ones. The result is a steadily growing monthly bill that most people do not fully realize.
For every 1 person who cancels a service, 2.6 people add one. This net positive stacking is why average counts keep rising.
Churn rate measures how many subscribers cancel each month. While overall churn is 5.2%, it varies widely by service, content releases, and time of year.
Netflix has the lowest churn because of its deep content library. Apple TV+ has the highest churn because subscribers often join for one show and cancel after watching it.
Where does the average $52/month streaming bill actually go? Here is the typical allocation across services for an average 4-5 service household.
$624/year on video streaming alone. Add music and gaming and the total entertainment subscription bill averages $82/month ($984/year).
Average streaming services per person
Up from 2.8 in 2020. The 25-34 age group leads with 5.7 services on average.
Average annual streaming spend
$52/month on video streaming alone. Add music and gaming subscriptions and it rises to $984/year.
Added a service in the past year
But only 28% canceled one. This 2.6:1 add-to-cancel ratio drives the subscription stacking trend.
Average monthly churn rate
Netflix has the lowest churn (2.5%) while Apple TV+ has the highest (8.1%). Price increases are the top reason for cancellation.
The average American subscribes to 4.5 paid video streaming services as of 2026. This is up from 3.9 in 2023 and 2.8 in 2020. Younger adults (18-34) average 5.7 services, while adults over 55 average 3.1 services.
The average American spends $52 per month on video streaming services in 2026. This represents just video streaming and does not include music ($14/mo), gaming ($16/mo), or other digital subscriptions. Total digital entertainment subscriptions average $82 per month.
Subscription stacking describes the tendency to add new streaming services without canceling existing ones. In the past 12 months, 73% of subscribers added at least one new service, but only 28% canceled one. This 2.6:1 ratio drives the steady increase in average service counts and monthly bills.
The average monthly churn rate for streaming services is 5.2% in 2026. Netflix has the lowest churn at approximately 2.5%, while Apple TV+ has the highest at roughly 8.1%. Price increases are the number one reason people cancel, cited by 52% of churned subscribers.
The average US household subscribes to 5.4 paid streaming services. Households with children average 6.2 services, while child-free households average 4.1. High-income households (over $100K) average 6.8 streaming services.
Netflix leads with 78% household penetration in the US, followed by Amazon Prime Video (62%), Disney+ (46%), Hulu (38%), Max (34%), YouTube Premium (30%), Peacock (28%), Apple TV+ (22%), and Paramount+ (21%).
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