Stream stream hurray

Ariel Ariel
6/11/21

This is a single insight from This Week in Apps #65 - It's Game Time + Reddit and Apple. Check out the full article for more insights.


Last weekend a hall of fame boxer and a YouTuber (also a professional boxer) took the stage for an exhibition fight, which was streamed by Showtime.

Sports = downloads when it comes to streaming. I look at content makers like HBO Max and Disney a lot, but we can't ignore the sheer power sports streamers have, and now, seeing that force translate into downloads and revenue. And remember, it's almost always recurring revenue for the platforms.

Showtime's revenue rose more than 15x between Sunday and Monday with a total haul of more than $1.3M of net revenue, according to our estimates. For context, the previous weekend earned the streamer just $85K.

There's a bit more to this story, however. The demand on Sunday seems to have overloaded Showtime's servers, causing many to not be able to use the app (and the website) to the point where Showtime announced they will issue refunds.

Bottom line: Streaming is slowly choking cable, and it's a new reality for some streamers. Overwhelming demand means Showtime's projections were off (or negligence, but I don't think so), which is one of those good problems to have.

The more streamers understand the potential, the more you'll see them attempt to get as many viewers as possible because switching apps is not the same as changing channels.

App Intelligence for Everyone!

The insights in this report come right out of our App Intelligence platform, which offers access to download and revenue estimates, installed SDKs, and more! Learn more about the tools or schedule a demo with our team to get started.

Are you a Journalist? You can get access to our app and market intelligence for free through the Appfigures for Journalists program. Contact us for more details.

All figures included in this report are estimated. Unless specified otherwise, estimated revenue is always net, meaning it's the amount the developer earned after Apple and Google took their fee.

Tagged: #streaming

Related Resources

Changing Channels is a Multi-Million Dollar Business on the App Store
Insights
Changing Channels is a Multi-Million Dollar Business on the App Store

When app makers think about what to build, they tend to associate big ideas with big money. I've shown you over the last...

Love Island Season 7 Has Its Biggest Opening Week on the App Store Ever!
Insights
Love Island Season 7 Has Its Biggest Opening Week on the App Store Ever!

It's been a while since a TV show took over the App Store! The latest to achieve that is Love Island, and the numbers ar...