Report: Disney+ outpaces Apple TV
November 13, 2019
Business data aggregator Eagle Alpha’s latest report on the intensifying streaming wars suggests that Disney+ has gained some traction among consumers as Apple TV Plus lags and none of the new challengers to Netflix have yet to make significant inroads.
“It’s too early to predict how Disney+ and other new streaming challengers to Netflix will fare in the coming months, but early indications suggest legacy players, including Hulu, maybe in a stronger position than previously thought,” said Dean Barr, Eagle Alpha’s Head of Bespoke Projects. “Our research also suggests that Apple TV Plus is struggling to gain traction,” he added. “Investors should look beyond last quarter’s financials to come to an informed judgment about who will prevail in battles looming ahead.”
Eagle Alpha surveyed 5 million tweets from Twitter users in North America, excluding retweets, that mentioned Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV Plus, Hulu or Roku, to update its ongoing analysis of streaming video providers. Social media commentary volume is a reliable proxy for consumer preferences and end demand.
Netflix continues to dominate share of voice on Twitter with about a 70 per cent share, though it has dropped about 10 percentage points since mid-year as Disney+ (~ 6 per cent) gained some traction, according to the report. But Disney still lags Hulu (~14 per cent) and Roku (~7 per cent) as Apple TV Plus (~1 per cent) brings up the rear in fifth place out of five.
Meanwhile, total mentions of all streaming players, including HBO, Amazon and Showtime are up nearly 50 per cent since December 2018.
Enthusiasm for Roku and Disney+ is slightly stronger than for Hulu and Netflix but all of them outstrip Apple TV Plus.
The cost of Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV Plus and Roku doesn’t feature prominently in conversation about these streaming providers. Less than 0.13 per cent of all conversations mentioning Netflix reference its price. The numbers are even lower for Disney+, Apple TV Plus and Hulu at less than 0.05 per cent each.