Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video and Hulu Dominate Streaming, for NowThe big four streaming apps make up the majority over over-the-top (OTT) viewing right now, but that may change.

ByRob Marvin

This story originally appeared onPCMag

Netflix

In the past few months, everything Netflix hasspent billionspreparing for has begun to come to pass.

Preceding a new wave ofvideo streamingcompetition from heavy hitters including Apple, AT&T, Comcast, and Disney,all launching in the next year, Netflix announced it's losing its two most popular shows.Friendswill depart for HBO Max in 2020, andThe Officeis heading to NBCUniversal's service in 2021.

According to a recentcomScore report, 64 million US households used over-the-top (OTT) streaming services in March 2019, through a smart TV,media streaming device, game console, and other means. The report found that Netflix reaches 75 percent of those households, followed by YouTube at 55 percent.

Amazon Prime Videoand the nowfully Disney-controlledHulu reach 44 and 32 percent of those OTT households, respectively. The big four comprise 79 percent of total viewing hours, according to comScore. But for Netflix in particular, the big question is whether its continued investment in originals can replace the engagement it gets from licensed sitcoms.

Nielsen provided PCMag with data from its 2018SVOD Content Ratingsreport showing thatThe Officewas the number oneNetflixshow by hours viewed by a healthy margin last year -- more than 52 million hours for its 200-plus episode run.Friendsand its 254 episodes were second at over 32 million hours, and the rest of the top five were also licensed shows (Grey's Anatomy, NCIS,andCriminal Minds), not originals.

部分原因是银团显示simply have more episodes, but the data shows why Netflix has gone into more debt to bankroll billions of dollars in original content spending that often prioritizes quantity over quality. Netflix needs to own more content to keep users subscribed and streaming as more licensing deals expire and well-funded competitors enter the market.

For a deeper dive into the escalating original content war between all of these streaming giants, and where this increasingly cordoned-off landscape leaves consumers, check out our story on thestreaming-industrial complex.

Rob Marvin

Associate Features Editor

Rob Marvin is the Associate Features Editor at PCMag.

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