Top Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) platforms in 2025

With TV taking a gracious exit from our lives, subscription-based video services are increasingly mitigating the void left behind by the absence of cable TV channels. No one platform has a monopoly over the industry, with many companies swiftly launching their own platforms with competitive pricing.

Shift from TV cable to Video content

The gradual switch from TV cable to SVOD viewership lies in the fact that the average TV cable pricing now exceeds the monthly membership to a video streaming platform. The US population shells out an average $109 a month for cable TV, while SVOD platform Netflix charges a maximum $25 a month for its premium subscription, which furnishes members with the Spatial Audio feature and 4K HD ultra resolution viewing. Features like these help reel in prospective members while rewarding loyal customers with additional benefits.

As of 2025, the combined subscription charges of top ad-free SVOD platforms such as Netflix, Paramount+, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Peacock TV amount to nearly the cost of traditional cable, with the former amounting to $97.94 a month. Users, along with the provision of a host of options, get to experience ad-free viewing without constant interruptions.

Another benefit of turning to SVOD lies in its nonrestrictive digital device compatibility. While cable is supported only on television, SVOD content can be watched on numerous devices such as tablets, phones, and even TVs. According to a survey, 80% of individuals in the US preferred to stream films and series on their Television sets.

South East Asian countries such as China prefer smartphone viewing of SVOD content over TV adoption due to economic hindrances. 85% of people in China use smartphones to watch SVOD content. The Philippines also showed a similar result, with only 20% of the population using desktops for SVOD.

Globally, the primary age group consuming media from SVOD platforms belongs to the 18-34 age group. The millennial age group, specifically belonging to the 25-34 age group comprise 27% of the total demographic as they are more likely to explore diverse content on a global scale as they aren’t tied down by families such as the 35-44 age group who due to raising families and time restrictions might opt for family friendly content.

Platforms have also kept in mind financial hindrances faced by the younger age group who have the time but not the resources to watch their favourite shows. Amazon Prime Video has started catering to the younger audience by rolling out subscriptions for a cost of $69 a year, as opposed to their $139 a year charges.

Platforms dominating the SVOD market

With SVOD platforms dishing out acclaimed original content that attracts a global audience, it is in itself a win over cable TV, which sticks to safe and reliable options comfortable for family viewing. Due to this reason, SVOD platforms are increasingly competing among themselves in order to bag the top position in terms of the number of subscribers.

Netflix consecutively occupies the number one position with a total paid subscriber count reaching 310 million subscribers in 2025. By the second quarter of 2025, it had amassed a revenue of $11.08 billion, which grew by 16% from last quarter. This can be attributed to hit TV shows such as “Ginny and Georgia” and “Squid Game” gaining approximately 53 M views due to summer breaks in schools.

Amazon Prime Video came in second with global paid subscribers surpassing the 200 million mark. Apart from access to virtually unlimited shows through Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime members are also privy to additional benefits such as free parcel delivery and access to enticing shopping deals on Amazon Prime Day. Taking into consideration all these points, revenue has reached a whopping $11.5 billion.

HBO Max is another emerging competitor that was earlier known as Max. After adding the prefix as an ode to its legacy, HBO Max, along with Discovery+, now have 122.3 million paid subscribers as of 2025. In the first quarter of 2025, HBO Max added 5.3 million subscribers to its existing subscriber count, increasing it to its current number. It had an annual revenue of $2.7 billion, which is an 8% increase from Q4 2024. Hit shows such as “The White Lotus” and the global phenomenon “The Last of Us” have helped surge subscriber count.

Other notable members are Disney+, with a total subscriber count of 125 million, along with a revenue of $6.072 billion. Its sister company Hulu, which primarily operates in the US, had a total of 53.1 million subscribers in 2025 and generated a revenue of $3.2 billion. Paramount+ followed with a total of 79 million subscribers in 2025, with 1.5 million new members joining this platform in Q1 2025.

Comcast’s Peacock TV and Apple TV+ also made the list, with the former having a subscriber count of 41 million while the latter had a notable 45.9 million. Peacock TV generated $1.2 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2025 with a 16% YoY. Apple, on the other hand, has not made a significant profit in the first quarter of the year, resulting in a loss of $1 billion.

Conclusion

As TV cable content is now becoming obsolete and monotonous, SVOD platforms are filling this void by introducing people to new and global content. Cost effectiveness and on-demand content are imperative for an ideal viewing experience, which is being presented to the public by these platforms. The gradual shift from TV is proof that SVOD platforms are here to stay.