Parrot Analytics: Demand for SVOD Originals Slipped in Q4 2022

Global demand for SVOD original series fell by 1.6 percent in Q4 2022 compared with the previous quarter, according to Parrot Analytics.

This slip followed nine consecutive quarters of growth in the demand for SVOD originals, the research firm said. This turn could indicate that the streaming sector has reached saturation point, Parrot noted, “suggesting that consumers have quite literally seen enough, or at the very least are done adding new SVODs to their inflation-impacted personal budgets.”

Parrot also released data on the demand for Netflix originals, which was down 4.1 percent in Q4 as compared with Q3, but 1.85 percent higher than Q2 thanks to hits like Emily in Paris and Wednesday. On all other streamers, total demand for originals was up just 0.05 percent.

Parrot Analytics also reported that the most in-demand SVOD catalog overall was Netflix’s, with a 17.7 percent share among U.S. audiences. Hulu is just behind Netflix at 15.5 percent, and then HBO Max at 15.2 percent. Potential future platform consolidation would bump Netflix to third place, with a combined Hulu/Disney+ taking 24.1 percent and HBO Max/discovery+ at 19.4 percent.

“While demand for original content drives subscription growth, library content is key for customer retention, and the catalog demand is a good indicator of which SVODs consumers are most likely to use as a default ‘streaming home,'” Parrot observed.

In terms of catalog demand, HBO Max leads in movies but is third in TV. Hulu is the leader in TV but is in fifth place with movies. Netflix is second place in each of those categories.

In terms of global share of demand for original TV content, Netflix slipped to 39.6 percent in Q4, with Disney+ rising to 10.2 percent, putting it close to dethroning Prime Video (11.1 percent) in second place. Disney+ originals accounted for four of the top ten most in-demand streaming originals with global audiences in Q4 2022.

For the full year, Netflix had a 41.5 percent share of global demand for original TV content, down from 47.1 percent in 2021 and 53.5 percent in 2020. Hulu slipped to 5.4 percent and Prime Video to 11.2 percent. Several platforms gained share, including Disney+ at 9.8 percent, HBO Max at 6 percent, Paramount+ at 4.2 percent and Apple TV+ at 6.5 percent.