The streaming wars are heating up! Join us as we count down the services that have dominated the digital landscape with their massive viewership numbers. Our countdown includes platforms that have revolutionized how we consume entertainment, from sports-focused services to entertainment juggernauts with hundreds of millions of subscribers worldwide.
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be counting down our picks for the streaming services that have retained the largest viewership.
00:09Number 10. ESPN Plus
00:12We live in an age where it can often make a lot of financial sense for consumers to bundle up their streaming services in order to save some money.
00:19Looking for your next streaming destination? Come to Bundle Town!
00:22Disney Plus recently added the options to include content from both Hulu and ESPN Plus for their customer base.
00:29The latter of which has assisted the ESPN brand in reaching more households.
00:33So, is the drama with Jalen Hurts and this Eagles offense something or nothing?
00:38I think it's something. I think it's something, but it's a byproduct of what we're witnessing throughout the rest of the NFC.
00:43This also takes nothing away from the company's basic cable model, which in 2023 reached 70 million homes the old-fashioned way.
00:49This used to be an organization that people used to want to run to. Now this has become an organization where people are running away from.
00:58Meanwhile, the flagship ESPN Plus has been reported at over 24 million subscribers during the summer of 2025, which certainly isn't too shabby.
01:07If this is the kind of content that you're looking for, if you love sports content, then yes, absolutely.
01:12Number 9. Stars
01:13It remains to be seen how successful Stars will be in the future, as more and more people join the conversation about paying for too many streaming services.
01:20This may eventually be the cable TV story all over again.
01:27The company did report a growth in viewership in the third quarter of 2025, as viewers stood by Stars' homegrown content.
01:34It's so incredibly fitting that we inaugurate the final season here in LH for Outlander, because the Outlander fandom is so massive and so passionate.
01:46The loss of titles owned by Lionsgate, however, essentially meant that Stars has been reliant upon the bundling model to raise their subscriber numbers.
01:53These did fall in the 12 and 27 million range, depending on the source.
01:57Do not stand, man!
01:58Number 8. Peacock
02:00The story of NBC's streaming service, Peacock, is a great example of a venture staying the course through rough seas and eventually making it out the other side intact.
02:09It's quick stuff. Binge stuff. Tough stuff. Love stuff.
02:12The initial launch struggled to find an audience in the streaming market, but the development of some strong original content, such as Rian Johnson's Poker Face, has enabled Peacock to remain competitive within a crowded market.
02:23Could I get a quick peek at the data from Ben's robo-arm bracelet?
02:27No, absolutely not. I'll be a HIPAA violation.
02:30Oh, yeah, and I'm a HIPAA to what you're saying.
02:32There have admittedly been reports about how Peacock's subscriber base has been stuck at around 41 million users throughout much of 2025, but this number isn't exactly anything to sneeze at, right?
02:42I'm just a glorified mechanic.
02:44Number 7. Paramount+.
02:46There are a number of ways a streaming service can emerge out of the gate with an instantly competitive edge.
02:51Hey, how you doing?
02:53How you doing?
02:53One of those is to provide a rich and diverse back catalog of titles, and it's here where Paramount Plus has thrived over the years.
03:00There is just a wealth of fantastic content on the service that's enabled Paramount Plus to grow to nearly 80 million paid subscribers in 2025.
03:08Blase! Where you at, Blase?
03:11It's Blaze!
03:12Okay, so that's how it's gonna be.
03:14Blaze!
03:14This isn't only thanks to heritage titles such as the Friday the 13th franchise, but also kids' content like Peppa Pig, and an ad-free upgrade that includes access to Showtime Premium content, as a bonus.
03:25Come on, stupid arm cannon.
03:28Did you try turning it off and turning it back on?
03:30Of course I did that!
03:32Wow, just folding under the pressure.
03:34Number 6. Apple TV.
03:36Let's ignore for a moment the fact that the Apple Corporation doesn't voluntarily give out its subscriber base to the public.
03:41Seven. Ready? Six.
03:44Yeah, I'm ready.
03:45Expert estimations of subscribers to the company's Apple TV streaming service have been said to number over 40 million paid users.
03:52Howdy, y'all.
03:53Ready?
03:53Yeah.
03:54These are folks that don't receive access to Apple TV via a free trial, or some other method.
03:59These numbers fall in line with the critical appraisal lauded to such original Apple TV programs, such as Severance,
04:05while the availability of other curated content on the service has certainly raised its profile over the years.
04:10You are perfectly safe.
04:13Okay.
04:14Number 5. Amazon Prime Video.
04:16Come to Prime for romance.
04:18Is this real?
04:19Of course this is real.
04:20And relaxation.
04:21I am locking myself inside and never coming out.
04:24The success of Amazon Prime Video needs to be adjusted, somewhat,
04:27since its wide viewership numbers will always be linked to its bundling with the parent Amazon Prime brand.
04:32Turn off your world.
04:35I got here as soon as I could.
04:36And step into ours.
04:38Still, the fact that over 300 million people view the ad's supported tier of Prime Video is nothing if not impressive.
04:45Meanwhile, the service also boasts a nice balance of vintage and original content,
04:50making it a something-for-everybody sort of proposition.
04:52Being strong is what got us here.
04:54This could range from live sports, to made-for-Amazon programs, such as the horror series Them,
04:59or the witty, funny, but sadly cancelled, Etoile.
05:03No, it doesn't work like that.
05:05Am I yelling?
05:05Number 4. Hulu.
05:07The streaming wars are certainly not going away anytime soon,
05:10as more and more companies find out that bundling services and hiding numbers seems to be the wave of the future.
05:16And our latest silver bullet, Hulu Plus.
05:19Full seasons and full series runs of your favorite shows in your new favorite place.
05:24Everywhere.
05:24The Walt Disney Company joined other titans like Apple in choosing to hide their subscriber bases for their main streaming service,
05:30as well as Hulu.
05:31Think I'm about to get serious?
05:33This is despite recent reports of the latter retaining over 55 million subscribers
05:37that enjoy Hulu's mix of movies, television, and original programming.
05:42I'm so in love with you.
05:44The Disney Plus service recently bundled Hulu along with ESPN Plus,
05:47essentially making it easier than ever for newcomers to Hulu to check out the hype for themselves.
05:52Number 3. Disney Plus.
05:58The decision of the Walt Disney Company to join the streaming revolution was always going to be a big deal,
06:03with the results writing themselves in the years since the introduction of Disney Plus.
06:07Everything changes now.
06:09The magnitude of Disney's back catalog made subscribing a no-brainer for parents,
06:14but there were also the various, insanely popular IPs to consider.
06:17Woohoo!
06:18Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, all of these and more can easily be browsed via the Disney Plus interface,
06:24and accessed at the click of a button.
06:26To infinity and beyond!
06:30Granted, discussions of censorship have also emerged in the wake of how the House of Mouse polices its content,
06:35yet this has always been met by the value-of-money argument for those who'd rather go with the devil they know.
06:40You have something very rare.
06:48You have magic.
06:50Number 2. HBO Max.
06:51It doesn't really matter whether you call it HBO, HBO Max, or simply Max.
06:56The home box office is content simply to have your streaming dollars in its proverbial back pocket.
07:07Over 128 million subscriber streaming dollars, to be exact.
07:11The days of premium cable HBO may be over,
07:14but legions of folks streamed the company's original content.
07:17Y'all playing this?
07:17Max also thankfully includes a lot of quality legacy content as part of its library,
07:22including adult animation from the Adult Swim Vault,
07:24to other Warner Bros. Discovery IPs that many fans can't live without.
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07:50Number 1. Netflix.
07:52You know you've made it into the cultural lexicon when your company's name can be used as a verb.
07:57Netflix and chill notwithstanding, however,
08:00there's clearly no unseating the titan of streaming services from its dual throne of content.
08:04We have to talk about the show like,
08:06yo, you have a stalker?
08:07Why haven't you gone to the cop?
08:09Netflix has grown from its humble origins as a DVD by mail company
08:12to become a go-to streaming service for millions of subscribers.
08:16The company reported over 300 million paid subscribers in 2024,
08:20as Netflix holds court as the primary entertainment source for so many homes across the world.
08:24Movies, television, stand-up, original content, and documentaries all make up the Netflix library,
08:35ensuring that there's always something to watch.
08:37But that's the thing about Netflix.
08:40You never really know what's next.
08:42Are you a cord cutter?
08:43Or do you rely on an old-school pair of bunny ear antennae?
08:46Let us know your cable and entertainment preferences in the comments.
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