The Flood of Streaming Options: How Values Compare Across Streaming Brands

By Contributor, Natalie Haynes

The field of streaming content is heavily fragmented and competitive. It is also complex and collaborative as companies compete for share but partner in doing so.

With the linguistic analytic tools in Metametrix, we’ve compared brand associations for six streaming visual media brands to understand what values are associated with this space and how these six brands differ.

Below is a list of the top five values associated with each brand.

Access is the top value across all of the streaming services we researched. Convenience and Thrill were the next most common values. Highlighted are the values that are differentiators. E.g. Thrift only rose to the top five for YouTube, Privacy only for Netflix, Logic only for Hulu, etc.

 

YOUTUBE

A Metametrix search for YouTube, results in concepts including: “Check out Sling” and  “Standard Hulu”, which very much speaks to how intertwined streaming media companies are. The mental associations between services is really strong in some cases.

NETFLIX

Convenience and Connectivity are top values for Netflix. They are known to be a powerhouse of data science to make recommendations, but Netflix also developed a download-and-go feature that allows users to watch shows offline. Among this group of brands, they also appear to have the most prominent concerns about Privacy. They also stand out for having original content.

HULU

The concepts for a search on Hulu include “Hulu and Netflix”, “Bundled with Disney Plus and ESPN”, “Party”, and “Start at $5.99”. Of the streaming services we researched, this is the only one that had concepts including a mention of pricing. The mentions of a bundle reiterate the idea that companies are working together to present content. The value of Logic appears to be tied to the ease of resetting account passwords or setting up an account.

AMAZON STREAMING
Again we see fluid partnerships with Amazon and other companies providing media. Top concepts include “Netflix HBO” and “Amazon and the NFL”. A recent headline reads: Amazon To Stream Its First NFL Playoff Game In January In Split With ViacomCBS

HBO GO

One of the top concepts for HBO GO is “HBO via Amazon”. Another top concept is “Movies and series” which was unique to this brand.

CRACKLE

Crackle may seem like a newcomer to the streaming game, but they were bought by Sony in 2006. The top concept from Metametrix for Crackle is “Download the Crackle App”. Just as the partnerships between these companies is fluid, so too is the way we access content, and although all of these companies in this analysis have apps, Crackle is more associated with having an app than the others.