the categories

OVERALL SIZE Number of subscribers; size and popularity of its library; international scope; money.

even after a projected loss of about 2 million customers this quarter, Netflix will have roughly 80 million more than Disney+. It’s also the champ when it comes to mining hits from international markets (see Squid Game, Lupin), and it continues to crank out an ungodly number of titles every month. “Growth has slowed, but it’s still dominating time spent watching among all streamers by a wide margin,” one Wall Street analyst says.

CRITICAL BUZZ The most acclaimed content offerings (both new and library); awards love.

Last year, we dubbed HBO Max the “It” streamer, and, if anything, its hold on the Zeitgeist has only grown stronger. Over the past year, the platform’s slate remained catnip for critics, mixing powerful newcomers (The White Lotus, Station Eleven) with the well-received returns of several covid-delayed tentpoles (Barry, Euphoria, Succession). Even shows not universally adored (Winning Time, And Just Like That …) still had folks talking. It’s expected to clean up at the Emmys this year.

ORIGINALS OUTPUT Scope of first-run content; how many people actually watch it.

Netflix remains the everything store of streaming, making a larger number and variety of TV shows and movies than any other platform. That vast output allowed the streamer’s originals to once again capture the biggest share of U.S. viewers’ interest (42.5 percent) over the past year, according to audience-research firm Parrot Analytics. But that’s way down from a year ago, when Netflix accounted for nearly 50 percent of viewer demand. By contrast, Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max all saw their audience shares go up as they expanded their offerings.

INDUSTRY RANKING Based on a survey of 14 Hollywood and Wall Street insiders.

Our expert panel voted HBO Max the hottest streamer in town, and it wasn’t even close: 12 of our 14 insiders ranked the platform either first or second out of eight contenders. “The service just feels more balanced and deeper than the others,” one top talent agent raves. Like last year, Disney+ came in a solid second, pushing former winner Netflix down to third (though four voters still ranked it No. 1).