TORONTO—Netflix’s climb to the top is now complete, as the streaming service has been ranked as the No. 1 “Must Keep TV” brand in the U.S., according to the 2020 edition of the Solutions Research Group’s annual report.
Netflix first appeared in the top 15 for brands in 2017, at No. 4, and was No. 2 in 2019 behind ABC. Now Netflix has swapped positions with ABC. The top five are rounded out by the major TV networks in this order: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
Just behind them though are two other major streaming services, Amazon Prime Video at No. 6 and Hulu at No. 7, beating out ESPN, which came in at No. 8.
The remaining brands in the top 15 (No. 9-15) are PBS, CNN, Discovery, HBO, Disney+, Food Network and History. Disney+ made the list in the first year of its existence.
Brands that exited the top 15 in 2020 were AMC, CW, Fox News and TNT. HBO was another service that declined, falling outside of the top 10 for the first time since 2013.
The strong showing of streaming likely has to do a lot with its popularity with participants aged 18-34, which ranked Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu as its top three must keep brands (in that order). Disney+ also made the top 10 as the No. 8 brand. All four major networks and ESPN also made the top 10 for this age group, though NBC came in at No. 10. If the age group is expanded to 18-49, Netflix is still at the top, but ESPN jumps to No. 2.
Netflix also has popularity among different ethnicities, ranking No. 1 among Black and Latino audiences as well.
SRG interviewed 1,400 people aged 12 and older across the U.S. from May 22-26.
For more information on SRG’s findings, visit www.srgnet.com.
