Netflix has strengthened its leadership in the U.S. subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market, while Apple TV+ has emerged as the fastest-growing streaming platform, according to the latest JustWatch Q2 2026 Streaming Market Shares report.
Based on more than 45 million streaming interactions in the United States between April 1 and June 30, 2026, the report reveals changing competitive dynamics as Apple TV+ climbed to fourth place, Hulu overtook HBO Max for the first time in 2026, and Peacock Premium continued to gain momentum. Meanwhile, Paramount Plus experienced one of the sharpest annual declines.
Netflix Widens Lead Over Amazon Prime Video
Netflix remained the largest streaming platform in the United States, increasing its market share by 1 percentage point during Q2 2026 to 20 percent. The gain expanded Netflix’s lead over Amazon Prime Video, which remained unchanged at 17 percent, creating a 3-percentage-point advantage.
Compared with Q2 2025, Netflix maintained its 20 percent share, demonstrating resilience in an increasingly mature and competitive streaming market.
Amazon Prime Video retained second position but recorded a 4-percentage-point decline year over year, highlighting mounting competition among major streaming services.
Disney Plus held third place despite losing 1 percentage point during the quarter to finish at 15 percent. On an annual basis, however, Disney Plus still posted a 1-percentage-point increase.
Apple TV+ Becomes the Fastest-Growing Streaming Platform
Apple TV+ delivered the strongest performance among all major streaming services.
The platform increased its market share by 1 percentage point during Q2 2026 to reach 13 percent, allowing it to surpass both Hulu and HBO Max to become the fourth-largest streaming service in the United States.
Even more impressive was its annual growth. Apple TV+ expanded its market share by 5 percentage points compared with Q2 2025, the largest year-over-year increase recorded by any platform in the report.
The strong performance reflects Apple’s continued investment in premium original programming and exclusive content, demonstrating that high-quality originals can successfully compete without the industry’s largest content library.
Hulu Overtakes HBO Max
Hulu maintained its market share at 11 percent throughout the quarter, enabling it to move ahead of HBO Max for the first time in 2026.
HBO Max experienced the steepest quarterly decline among major streaming platforms, losing 2 percentage points to finish at 10 percent. The service also declined by 2 percentage points compared with the same quarter last year, underscoring increasing competitive pressure in the premium streaming segment.
The ranking changes illustrate how consumers are increasingly switching subscriptions based on exclusive content releases, pricing strategies and bundled offerings.
Peacock Premium Gains While Paramount Plus Declines
Peacock Premium maintained a 4 percent market share during Q2 2026 while recording a healthy 2-percentage-point increase year over year, making it one of the strongest performers outside the leading streaming platforms.
Paramount Plus remained unchanged at 3 percent during the quarter but suffered a 4-percentage-point annual decline, one of the largest drops among major streaming services.
PBS remained stable at 2 percent, while Starz continued at 1 percent. Other streaming services collectively accounted for 4 percent of total streaming engagement.
U.S. Streaming Market Shares in Q2 2026
According to JustWatch, the U.S. streaming market shares are:
Netflix: 20 percent
Amazon Prime Video: 17 percent
Disney Plus: 15 percent
Apple TV+: 13 percent
Hulu: 11 percent
HBO Max: 10 percent
Peacock Premium: 4 percent
Paramount Plus: 3 percent
PBS: 2 percent
Starz: 1 percent
Other streaming services: 4 percent
Together, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and Apple TV+ account for 65 percent of all streaming engagement measured by JustWatch in the United States.
Quarterly and Annual Performance
Netflix gained 1 percentage point during Q2 2026 while remaining flat year over year.
Amazon Prime Video held its quarterly position but declined 4 percentage points annually.
Disney Plus lost 1 percentage point during the quarter but added 1 percentage point year over year.
Apple TV+ increased 1 percentage point during the quarter and delivered the strongest annual gain of 5 percentage points.
Hulu remained stable on both quarterly and annual comparisons, while HBO Max declined 2 percentage points both quarter over quarter and year over year.
Peacock Premium maintained its quarterly share while growing 2 percentage points annually.
Paramount Plus stayed flat during the quarter but fell 4 percentage points year over year.
PBS, Starz and the “Others” category remained largely unchanged throughout the period.
Streaming Competition Intensifies
JustWatch’s analysis shows that Netflix maintained market share close to 20 percent throughout the first half of 2026, reflecting sustained engagement despite growing competition.
Amazon Prime Video remained comfortably in second place at around 17 percent, although its annual decline indicates increasing pressure from rivals.
Apple TV+ recorded one of the strongest upward trajectories during the first six months of 2026, steadily climbing to 13 percent by the end of June. Hulu remained stable at around 11 percent, while HBO Max gradually slipped to 10 percent.
The report suggests that the U.S. streaming market has entered a more mature phase where subscriber engagement, retention and profitability have become as important as subscriber growth. Streaming providers are increasingly investing in exclusive originals, live sports, advertising-supported subscription tiers, bundled services and AI-powered content recommendations to strengthen customer loyalty and long-term revenue.
According to JustWatch, the findings are based on more than 45 million streaming interactions across its website, mobile applications and TV apps in the United States between April 1 and June 30, 2026, including watchlist additions, click-through activity, filtering behaviour and titles marked as watched.
FASNA SHABEER