- Streaming Nears the Halfway Mark
- Subscription Growth Slows in Mature Markets
- The Window Is the Product
- Discover What Streaming Services Pay to License Films and Shows
- Holding Back Can Mean Cashing In
- Advertising Pressure and the Rise of FAST
- Global Expansion: Growth and Risk
- FilmTake Away: Data, Deals, and the Next Chapter
As streaming matures, growth in established markets is slowing, engagement is fragmenting, and the competition for advertiser attention is intensifying. Drawing on proprietary licensing data, FilmTake’s SVOD reports provide the real terms behind streaming deals, offering unmatched clarity on pricing, classifications, and market dynamics that shape negotiations across every major territory.
Streaming Nears the Halfway Mark
Streaming accounted for a record 47.3% of total TV viewing in July 2025, according to Nielsen’s Gauge report. Platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and The Roku Channel hit new highs as cable and broadcast slid into their summer lull.
Netflix owned eight of the top ten streamed titles, led by “Squid Game,” which logged 5.4 billion viewing minutes. The Roku Channel, meanwhile, posted the most significant month-to-month increase, up 7.5%, driven by its free ad-supported model. Roku’s entry into subscription streaming with Howdy is a striking counterpunch in an industry defined by rising prices and dwindling consumer patience.
These figures highlight a paradox: streaming is more dominant than ever, but engagement metrics show early signs of erosion. FilmTake’s Worldwide SVOD Rate Reports detail how rising subscription prices, softening ad revenues, and climbing churn rates are pressuring even the largest platforms.
Subscription Growth Slows in Mature Markets
In the United States, premium SVOD subscriptions grew just 10.4% in 2024, reaching 260 million accounts, according to Antenna. Netflix commands a 26% share, or roughly 67.5 million subscribers, with Hulu and Paramount+ tied for second at 14% each.
But churn is accelerating. Cancellations grew 15.8% year-over-year, outpacing the growth rate of new additions. Although monthly churn has stabilized at around 3%, subscribers are showing less tolerance for recurring price hikes. The average cost of an ad-free subscription climbed from $11 to $14 last year, while ad-supported plans averaged $7.50.
Increasingly, bundling and ad-supported tiers are keeping audiences engaged. The new Disney+/Max bundle, for example, boasts an 80% retention rate after three months—an encouraging sign for studios betting on package deals.
FilmTake’s Worldwide SVOD Rate Reports provide unparalleled insight into licensing fees for series and films across multiple territories.
The Window Is the Product
In a sinking content environment, access itself has become the core product, not merely the underlying content. Studios and streaming platforms are recognizing that the controlled timing and exclusivity of a release window can serve as a far more effective lever for driving subscriptions, reinforcing retention, and supporting differentiated pricing models, far beyond the diminishing returns of adding titles to an undifferentiated and often cumbersome catalog.
Instead of making everything available at once, platforms are experimenting with limited access periods (e.g., two-week streaming windows), geo-gated rollouts, and tiered release models (early access for premium subscribers). These moves borrow from the logic of theatrical exclusivity and PayTV scheduling, which historically built value by limiting access. Scarcity, whether artificial or organic, creates demand.
Moreover, in a streaming world where differentiation is difficult to achieve, controlling access gives streaming services a unique selling point to promote. An exclusive release window can be a selling point in a way that “new content every week” no longer is.
Discover What Streaming Services Pay to License Films and Shows
Accurate Rates. Global Insights. Confident Decisions.
Ditch the guesswork—access accurate licensing rates and real deal terms from actual film and television agreements across global markets.
Each report delivers verified values from streaming deals across multiple release windows, giving you the clarity to price, package, and license your content with precision.
Designed for industry decision-makers, our downloadable reports provide the clarity and context needed to inform negotiations and guide smarter long-term strategies.
Licensing Terms & Included Programs:
Gain access to detailed rate cards for films and series across key territories and licensing windows—backed by over a decade of verified deal data across formats and media types.
- Motion Pictures: Pay-1, First Run, Second Window Features, Recent Library Features, Library Features, Current and Premium Made-For-TV Films and Direct-To-Video Films, covering many license periods over the last decade
- Episodic TV: Current, Premium, Premium Catalog, Catalog Series (1HR & 1/2HR), and Catalog Miniseries + Case Studies on Current Mega Hit, Catalog Mega Hit, and Premium Catalog, covering multiple licensing periods
Holding Back Can Mean Cashing In
A more traditional windowing approach is also reshaping territorial licensing. Instead of licensing rights outright to a single platform globally, studios are increasingly slicing and sequencing rights by territory, temporally, and by exhibition type. This unbundling approach revives traditional distribution logic, where each window serves a unique audience and revenue goal.
For instance, a prominent title might follow this path: theatrical release in select territories, SVOD debut in high-value markets, AVOD or broadcast windows in lower ARPU regions, and then Second-cycle licensing to smaller platforms or PayTV channels. Each stage extracts value from a different audience segment.
Crucially, this model benefits distributors and rights holders more than the “global dump” model, which gives away future leverage for the illusion of short-term reach. Likewise, it is also being adopted by mid-tier and independent distributors. For them, windowing isn’t just about maximizing revenue—it’s about survival. By sequencing access, they retain bargaining power with multiple buyers, rather than locking themselves into a single long-term deal.
Advertising Pressure and the Rise of FAST
While SVOD services scale globally, advertising is the new battlefield. Connected TV (CTV) ad spend is growing at a rate of 12% annually; however, much of this growth reflects dollars shifting from declining PayTV rather than new net spending.
Platforms are racing to refine their ad tech. Unlike social platforms that log every interaction as a data point, streaming services continue to struggle with limited targeting tools and inconsistent ad placement. Generative AI now powers thousands of creative ad variations for social platforms, pushing CPMs higher, while streaming CPMs are softening due to excess inventory.
By understanding the actual costs of programming, media executives can better balance premium originals with less expensive fare, such as documentaries and library titles, that still drive engagement without overspending.
Global Expansion: Growth and Risk
With the U.S. and European markets maturing, streamers are now eyeing the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East for growth. But these markets bring trade-offs. Subscriber additions are plentiful, but ARPU is often a fraction of that in North America or Europe.
FilmTake’s global intelligence reports capture this reality, showing how territory-specific licensing deals can significantly impact profitability.
As platforms strive for global scale, the real challenge is striking a balance between the soaring costs of premium content and the need for regionally tailored programming. That’s where financial intelligence grounded in actual rate cards becomes indispensable—precisely the kind of licensing data and analysis that FilmTake delivers.
FilmTake Away: Data, Deals, and the Next Chapter
Streaming is no longer a land grab for subscribers—it’s a battle to sustain margins, retain users, and diversify revenue streams. Deals like Netflix-TF1 suggest the next frontier lies in hybrid ecosystems that merge streaming with PayTV’s reach and advertiser clout. Meanwhile, companies like AMC Networks illustrate what happens when legacy channels fail to adapt quickly enough.
FilmTake’s Worldwide Distribution Intelligence Reports remain indispensable for media professionals navigating this terrain. With detailed rate cards, licensing benchmarks, and case studies, they reveal the economics behind streaming’s high-stakes decisions—knowledge that can mean the difference between profitable growth and costly missteps.
The industry’s future winners will be those who can combine global scale, local partnerships, advanced ad tech, and disciplined cost management. And as always, success will come down to who understands the real value of content—and who is willing to pay for it.