Consumer Satisfaction With Streaming Services Slips, According to Survey

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American Customer Satisfaction Index sees higher score for pay TV

American Customers Satisfaction Index
(Image credit: American Customers Satisfaction Index)

While streaming offered consumers something new to watch while quarantined their homes because of the pandemic, a year later, customers' satisfaction with subscription VOD has slid a bit, according to a new study.

The American Customers Satisfaction Index Telecommunications Study for 2020-21 found satisfaction with video streaming services at 74%, down 2.6% from the previous survey.

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The biggest services, including Netflix and Disney Plus took some of the biggest hits. Disney Plus had the highest satisfaction score, at 78%, but that was down 3%. Netflix and Hulu were among the services tied for fourth place with an index of 75. Netflix was down 4% and Hulu 3% lower.

Gainers included Twitch, HBO and HBO Max, Vudu, Showtime and Sling TV.

Consumers gave lower scores to the quality of original programming on the streaming services, the variety of shows, the number of movies and the number of shows.

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“With folks resigned to stay at home for the better part of a year and a half, the heavy strain on telecommunications was inevitable,” said David VanAmburg, managing director at the ACSI. “The large consumption of bandwidth for internet services and countless hours spent streaming videos and movies were sure to impact satisfaction. And it turns out that streaming has taken the biggest hit of all.”

Even at their lower level, streaming services had higher satisfaction indexes than pay TV services. Pay TV customers had a satisfaction index of 65, up 1.6% from the prior study.

American Customers Satisfaction Index

(Image credit: American Customers Satisfaction Index)

The highest scores went to U-Verse, Verizon Fios, DirecTV, Dish Network and Xfinity.

The study found the highest level of satisfaction among cord-shavers, consumers who reduced their spending on TV but still have both pay TV and streaming services. Those consumers had an index of 76%. Cord-cutters, those who once had pay TV but now have only streaming, had a 73% index and cord-nevers were at 72%.

The ACSI Telecommunications Study 2020-2021 is based on interviews with 37,907 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between April 1, 2020, and March 29, 2021.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.