As the war for attention rages on, streaming platforms face an increasingly competitive landscape when it comes to viewership and subscribers. And, while those are two metrics often used to measure success, more is at play.
That’s the basis of a new report from MX8 Labs that offers a guide on where growth for over-the-top and free ad-supported TV services, or “FAST” channels, is heading in 2025. The quick answer? Netflix “still has room to grow in terms of consumer coverage and subscriptions,” while Tubi is fast becoming a top cable TV replacement service.
Data from MX8 Labs, based on a 2024 longitudinal tracking poll of 7,000+ domestic consumers aged 18 and over found that Netflix the most-watched platform. Netflix also ranked highest for overall experience, content appeal and ad experience.
“This isn’t exactly surprising, given the sheer amount of time Netflix has been in the game, not to mention the resources at its fingertips to produce content, experiment with new formats, and upgrade technology,” MX8 Labs says.
That being said, 72% of survey respondents said they watch Netflix — meaning there’s still room to grow, MX8 Labs believes.
Amazon Prime Video and YouTube tied for second place with 63% of surveyed viewers saying they watch the services, followed by Hulu (56%).
On the FASTs side of things, Tubi took the throne, watched by 30% of surveyed viewers, while 25% said they’ve tuned into The Roku Channel.
Looking at the type of content viewers prefer to watch, movies were ranked highest across platforms, with original series also ranking high, especially on Netflix — although on Peacock, network TV series outperformed original series. Meanwhile, Discovery+ over-indexed for documentaries, while sports ranked above average on Peacock and Samsung TV Plus, in particular.
In terms of free, ad-supported content, Tubi (which is hosting the Super Bowl this year) took the throne, watched by 30% of surveyed viewers, while 25% said they’ve tuned into The Roku Channel.
