Apple TV Plus Had Nearly Five Times More Churn Than Netflix in 2021

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Apple's steep promotions led to an SVOD-leading churn rate of 10.4%, research company says

Apple TV Plus' Ted Lasso
(Image credit: Apple TV+)

With much of its subscriber base adding its service on promotion tied to Apple product purchases, Apple TV Plus has the highest churn rate in the U.S. subscription streaming business at nearly 10.4%, according to new data published by research company Antenna.

Apple TV Plus's churn rate is nearly five times higher than that of Netflix, which ended 2021 with an industry-low monthly churn rate of just 2.2%, down from 2.5% at the start of the year. Disney Plus, which effectively minimizes churn by being bundled with Hulu and ESPN Plus, came in second behind Netflix at 5%. 

Also read: Churn and Burn: Half Who Signed Up for 'Hamilton,' 'Wonder Woman' and 'Greyhound' Were Gone Within Six Months

With NBC driving much of its signups with big-ticket events including the Olympics, periods without major event programming yield defections -- Peacock had the second highest churn at 8.4%.

The findings come courtesy of Antenna's 2021 Year in Streaming report. 

(Image credit: Antenna)

For its part, Netflix continues to see stagnant growth in its domestic market, and the additions of newer SVOD market entries including Discovery Plus and Paramount Plus have bitten into its market share. 

Netflix controlled 36% of the market at the end of 2020 but only 28% at the end of 2021. 

(Image credit: Antenna)
Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!