Data: Hulu top streaming advertiser in US
May 3, 2023
Data insights from AdImpact, the SaaS platform that tracks and analyses advertising occurrence and expenditure data across media channels, point to a thriving streaming market.
In 2021, AdImpact reported 2.3 million airings related to streaming platforms in the US, and this figure increased to 2.8 million in 2022. For 2023, the company analysed some streaming and advertising trends and noted the following:
Top Streamer by Number of Airings: In 2022, the top advertiser was Hulu with 492,000 airings, and in second place was Disney+ with 419,000 airings. Disney owns a majority share of Hulu, and currently has a bundle where viewers can subscribe to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN.
Two notable exceptions are Netflix and HBO Max. Despite being a major player in the streaming platform wars, in 2022, Netflix only had 8,500 airings. This could be because Netflix is not only one of the first and longest lasting streaming platforms – thus making Netflix a recognisable brand regardless of advertising – but also because Netflix could be complicit in their position against the other streaming platforms as Netflix has the most subscribers out of any platform at 230 million and rising.
Streaming Platform Ad Airings (January 1st through April 24th 2023): AdImpact tracked 797,000 streaming platform ad airings in 2023 to date through the beginning of Q2. This is slightly lower than the 1 million airings tracked at this point in 2022 (1/1/2022-4/24/2022). As with 2022, Hulu is the top advertiser of other streaming platforms.
One change however is that Paramount+ and Peacock are the second and third highest advertising streaming platforms and are outpacing the number of airings they had in 2022 at this point. This suggests that Paramount+ and Peacock could be performing a larger advertising push this year than they had last year.
Despite not advertising enough to be in the top six platforms in terms of airings, HBO Max has had a big start to the year. The Last of Us has been an incredible hit for HBO. The apocalyptic show has attracted a cumulative audience of 30.4 million, HBO’s second largest audience since Game of Thrones’ final season. The show’s success has been reflected with HBO Max’s advertising strategy, with The Last of Us being the most advertised show in 2023 so far.