Disney+ beats Netflix in US consumer satisfaction rankings

Disney+’s The Mandalorian

Disney+ has topped the ranks of US streaming services for consumer satisfaction, beating streaming pioneer Netflix in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Telecommunications report.

Disney scored a satisfaction rating of 80 just six months after launch, ahead of Netflix whose score slipped 1% to 78.

Disney, which reported 54.5 million subscribers for the service after six months, has a broad appeal to families thanks to a range of content that spans Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic, and the Star Wars universe, according to the ACSI, which also reports high levels of satisfaction with the Disney+ user experience.

While customer satisfaction for Netflix remains high, it is not rising, according to the study. The service, which has 183 million customers worldwide, announced a big price hike in the US last year and has lost content to studios launching their own streaming offerings, most notably the loss of Friends as WarnerMedia ramped up its own plans.

Another new entrant, Apple TV+, entered the ACSI rankings with a below average score of 74, matching Google Play and HBO. According to the ACSI, consumers marked the service down for value and the range of original content on offer.

Among other streaming services, Amazon Prime Video scored 76, unchanged year-on-year. CBS All Access and YouTube TV remained unchanged on an industry average score of 75. Walmart’s Vudu and DISH Network’s Sling TV both dropped 4% to 72% and 71% respectively.

Streaming service scored better than traditional pay TV and pay TV VOD services. However, pay TV services did gain ground, on average rising by 3.2% to a score of 64.

Verizon’s FiOS TV rose by 3% to 70, while AT&T’s U-Verse rose by 1% to 70. DISH Network on the other hand dropped three points to 65, while AT&T’s DirecTV also dropped three points to 64. Comcast’s Infinity was the biggest climber from a low base, rising by 11% to 57.

U-Verse and DISH Network scored highest for satisfaction with pay VOD services from traditional providers.