Who Won the Streaming Wars in May 2021?

It’s one thing to know how many bodies are sitting in front of how many televisions to watch however many shows at any given time. But on top of every one of those bodies (or beside them if you’re lying down on the couch — no judgment) is a mind bursting with important ideas: ideas about the shows the person is watching, why they’re watching it, and how it’s similar to or different from the dozens of other shows they love. And Watchworthy is the place you can find cold hard data on all those opinions.

In just 30 seconds, our Watchworthy recommendation app gets to know your taste in TV and gives every show a “Worthy Score” specifically for you: the higher a given show’s Worthy Score, the more likely it is you will enjoy that show. Over the month of May, we tracked each time a new show (premiered in 2019 or later) received a Worthy Score of 70% or higher, then organized all those shows according to network. The resulting analysis allowed us to determine which network’s content is being recommended to the most users — in other words, it told us which of the major streaming platforms is currently winning the Streaming Wars. Here are the shows and streaming platforms that were most Watchworthy in May 2021.


MostWatchworthy_R1_02.jpg

Which Streaming Platforms Were Most Watchworthy?

Though the Watchworthy show leaderboard saw plenty of change in May — Euphoria dropped suddenly from the Top 5, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist shot to #2, and brand-new shows Shadow and Bone and Mare of Easttown both made impressive debuts — the streaming service leaderboards remained relatively stable throughout the month. Both Netflix and Hulu saw a net change of 0 in terms of their respective shares of strong recommendations, while HBO Max’s modest 3% drop represented the biggest shift of the month.

Still, the trends from April appear to be holding strong: newer platforms like Apple TV+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Disney+ are steadily strengthening their positions at the expense of more established services. Amazon proved the exception to that rule, though, climbing back up to the #3 spot in both the streaming service and show categories, thanks to up-and-coming comedy Upload. That show’s success likely has something to do with anxiety from fans, who must have been dismayed to learn the show was not on Amazon’s list of June 2021 releases.

streaming-wars-may_R2.jpg

1. Can Netflix Be Beaten?: It’s going to be hard to dislodge Netflix from its perch at #1. As long as it has both smash hits like The Witcher, which is enjoying a second month as the #1 most Watchworthy show, and newer, trendier shows like Bridgerton and Outer Banks, Netflix should be able to maintain a distance that is all but impossible for its closest competitor HBO Max to close.

2. HBO Holds Steady at #2: HBO is the only service that can match Netflix’s ability to consistently produce new shows that are almost immediately Watchworthy: Mare of Easttown is #11 just over a month after it premiered. But Euphoria’s drop from #2 to #13 in May did end up negatively impacting HBO’s overall position. Netflix’s biggest strength seems to be the consistent performance of content directed largely at younger audiences, including both soapy dramas like Bridgerton and Outer Banks and darker fantasy shows like Locke & Key and Shadow and Bone. Euphoria has been the only show of HBO’s that’s really competed for that audience so far, but if newer dramas like Genera+ion and We Are Who We Are start picking up steam, that could change quickly.

3. Amazon Conquers Third Place: After a few months behind newer services, Amazon has finally reemerged as a dominant player in the Streaming Wars. With Upload moving from #4 to #3 and the once-dominant The Boys returning to the Top 10, Amazon was able to hold off newer competitors. If new original shows like The Underground Railroad and Them are able to pick up recommendations in the near future, Amazon could pull away from the fray and threaten the positions of HBO Max and Netflix.

4. Disney+ Continues to Build Momentum: Disney’s share of high recommendations technically shrank again by 1%, but with Loki premiering in June, don’t expect that trend to continue — especially with The Mandalorian returning triumphantly to the Watchworthy leaderboards. Disney+’s position is only going to get stronger as its slate of Marvel and Star Wars series continues to trickle out this year.

5. Apple Stumbles in Second Month: After its big debut on the Watchworthy leaderboards in April, Apple TV+’s share of recommendations fell by 2% this month, which is all it takes to fall two spots in the overall rankings. Still, while The Morning Show wasn’t nearly as high-performing as it was last month, Home Before Dark joined the Top 20 at #12, while workplace comedy Mythic Quest is sitting just outside of it at #21. If those shows maintain their momentum, Apple could easily regain its footing next month.

6. Peacock Struts its Stuff: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’s meteoric rise was enough to improve Peacock’s standing in the rankings (given the show’s controversial cancellation this month and the strong reaction of its dedicated fan base, this jump in the rankings could be the result of fans making their love for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist known on Ranker and Watchworthy). Unfortunately, the fact that Peacock’s new original show Girls5eva failed to win a significant number of recommendations means that the platform’s gain was a small one, jumping from seventh to sixth place.

If TV fans love one musical TV show, why not another like Girls5eva? The answer likely has something to do with the fact that Zoey’s airs on NBC and can be accessed on Hulu, while Girls5eva is an original Peacock show. In this sense, Peacock is in the same boat as Apple TV+ and Paramount+, all waiting for adoption to snowball so that more people can view their original content. If the show is moved to Peacock, as A.P. Bio was after its cancellation on NBC, Girls5eva could soon absorb a brand-new group of fans subscribing to get access to new episodes of Zoey’s.

7. Hulu Seeks More Buzz Around Originals: The disappearance of Prodigal Son was bad news for Hulu this month — although the cancellation of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist coincided with a boost in Watchworthy recommendations, Prodigal Son seemed to suffer on the leaderboards after being canceled. But Hulu still stood to benefit from Zoey’s extraordinary month as well as the performance of two original series: The Great and Little Fires Everywhere. These shows, along with the star-studded Marvel comedy M.O.D.O.K. that premiered at the end of May, are what the platform needs to boost it past its surging competitors.

8. Paramount+ Premieres: 2020’s Picard dropped out of competition in May while 2021’s Clarice jumped in, and B Positive stayed in about the same position it occupied in April. These shifts amounted to a 2% increase in Paramount+’s share of recommendations — good news, but not good enough to change its position in the overall rankings. The new platform doesn’t seem to be in a rush to develop original, exclusive content, so it’s possible that Paramount+ will remain in eighth place for some time.


Want to learn more about how we built a TV recommendation engine using Ranker Insights data? We tell the whole story in our Watchworthy white paper, which you can download here for free.


MORE INSIGHTS LIKE THIS:

The Road from Pop Culture Lists to Watchworthy (White Paper)


What Is Watchworthy?