Youtube logo on iPad screen.
A new way of ranking brands suggests that YouTube and Amazon are winning against streaming giant Netflix, while a host of smaller players are catching it from behind. YouTube and Prime Video ranked one and two, respectively, while the fastest-growing streaming brands are Pluto TV, HBO Max, Hulu, Peacock TV, and Tubi.
“You see the free services driving, massive, massive engagement,” Digital Turbine’s Gregory Wester told me yesterday.
Netflix still has massive brand power and engagement, however, as Wester added. And its coming ad-supported tier could re-ignite growth.
The insights come from a new kind of mobile growth report, the BRAG index from mobile analytics firm Apptopia and mobile advertising platform Digital Turbine. The Brand Relative App Growth analysis measures brand awareness and interest as well as install volume and velocity across smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices. It’s the kind of analysis that showed weakness in Peleton’s mobile presence several quarters before the company’s financials cratered.
Streaming video apps brand power and velocity, Q2 2022
What’s driving strength in the streaming segment for YouTube is not just ubiquity but accessibility. As a free service, 92% of the people who watch YouTube open the app every single day, according to the report. That compares to 65% for Netflix and less than 50% for each of Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto, and others.
HBO Max and Disney+ are at the bottom in terms of daily usage, with only 26% of people opening the Disney+ app every single day, and 37% opening HBO Max daily.
Free access to a service is one of the biggest predictors of success, according to the report.
“YouTube’s strength isn’t only in its number one ranking for Brand Power, but in the power of free content,” the report says. “The power of free does matter elsewhere as well. Pluto TV has the highest brand velocity of any of our apps thanks to offering free live TV.”
Now is a critical time, however, for establishing presence and dominance in streaming, Apptopia analyst Tara Kirkpatrick said. People aren’t going to buy 10 services, and it’s unlikely they’ll even continue to have four to six for long.
“We're getting to a point of where there are so many individual streamers,” Kirkpatrick said. “But it looks like it makes sense to consolidate now because that's easier on the consumer.”
The BRAG Index covers multiple verticals, not just streaming.
In fast food, or quick-service restaurants, Domino’s Pizza, McDonalds, and Starbucks lead in brand power. Taco Bell, Domino’s, and Dunkin’ Doughnuts are growing the fastest quarter over quarter, however.
Quick-service restaurant apps brand power and velocity, Q2, 2022
In retail, the results might not be much of a surprise: Amazon led the brand power rankings, followed by Walmart and Target. Etsy and eBay rounded out the top five.
In terms of fast-growers, however, Klarna, eBay, and SHEIN were the top three, with Amazon planted way back in ninth. In fairness, however, it’s hard to grow when you’re essentially ubiquitous already.
SHEIN seems particularly interesting.
“SHEIN out-installed every other app in Q2 and posted a number two rank, just behind Amazon in Q1,” the report says. “SHEIN also topped every brand in average time spent per user in both Q1 and Q2 of this year. It combined low-cost, yet still trendy, clothes with hip, fun marketing promotions.”
A big differentiator?
SHEIN’s use of YouTube celebrities and social media influencers on TikTok.
