Streamers are growing frustrated with the fragmented streaming landscape despite its mainstream dominance, with nearly half struggling to find specific content amid too many services and 49% ready to cancel subscriptions if nothing appeals, according to a new Gracenote report from Nielsen.
The survey of 3,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Brazil and Mexico—500 per country, collected this past summer—found 75% enjoy streaming overall, but 46% say the abundance of platforms makes pinpointing shows, movies or live events difficult (rising to 51% in the U.S. and U.K.).
Over 45% call the market oversaturated, and 32% report occasional negative experiences from overwhelm.
On average, users spend 15 minutes browsing for something to watch—26 minutes in France, 12 in the U.S. (up two minutes from two years ago)—with 19% abandoning searches entirely (29% among younger viewers). Cancellation threats peak at 56% for ages 25-34.
Two-thirds of respondents want a unified guide across apps and a cross-platform search tool to locate content, even on rivals. This echoes trends from Bango’s bundling platforms, MyBundle’s marketplaces and Antenna data showing Amazon Prime Video Channels boosting niche services via single-app management—prompting Apple and NBCUniversal to sell through it.