A comprehensive data analysis project designed to evaluate various subscription-based video on demand (SVoD) services based on their content library, cost, and ratings.
With over 200 streaming services available, it can be challenging for consumers, especially those low on a budget, to find one that best fits their needs. This project compares four major streaming platforms (Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+) to help users determine which platform offers the best overall value, quality, and content for different needs and budgets.
A dataset of movies detailing availability, Rotten Tomatoes ratings, target age groups, and release years.
Source | License: CC0
Key Fields: Title, Year, Age Rating, Rotten Tomatoes, Availability on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney+.
A dataset of TV shows with availability, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes ratings, target age groups, and release years.
Source | License: CC0
Key Fields: Title, Year, Age Rating, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Availability on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney+.
A dataset collected independently to compare ad-supported subscription plans across streaming platforms.
Key Fields: Platform, Plan Name, Ad-Supported, Resolution, Devices Supported, Download Support, Price (US$).
 |
|---|
| Fig. 1: Content Quantity by Platform |
Prime Video dominates the streaming market with the highest combined number of TV shows and movies, offering a total of 5,944 items. The platform also boasts the largest movie library, featuring 4,113 films. Its vast collection of movie titles appeals to film enthusiasts and highlights its competitive stance in the streaming landscape.
Netflix comes in a close second, offering a total of 5,666 items, which includes 1,971 TV shows and 3,695 movies. While Netflix maintains a diverse content library, its strength lies in its extensive movie collection.
Hulu's content library consists of 2,668 items, including 1,621 TV shows and 1,047 movies. It offers a balanced mix of TV shows and movies but leans more towards episodic content. This could indicate Hulu’s strategy to cater to viewers who prefer episodic content. However, there is a significant gap in overall content quantity compared to Netflix and Prime Video.
Disney+ offers a total of 1,273 items, consisting of 351 TV shows and 922 movies. While it provides a strong selection of movies, its content library is the smallest compared to its competitors.
 |
|---|
| Fig. 2: Content Maturity Ratings by Platform |
Prime Video shows a diverse distribution across different maturity ratings, with 333 titles rated 'G', 634 rated 'PG', 399 rated 'PG-13', and 1,559 rated 'R'. Despite having a significant amount of 'R' rated content, Prime Video maintains a relatively balanced presence across the other ratings.
Netflix also shows a particular focus on 'R' rated content, with 1,894 items in this category. However, there is also a balanced presence of 'PG' (621 titles) and 'PG-13' (407 titles) content as well, with a moderate amount of 'G' content.
Hulu offers a diverse range of content but with a significant skew towards 'R' rated content (1,171 titles) as well. The platform has a relatively smaller amount of 'G' (160 titles) and 'PG' (423 titles) content, indicating a stronger focus on more mature audiences.
On the other hand, Disney+ focuses primarily on content rated 'G' (499 titles) and 'PG' (387 titles), aligning with its reputation as a family-friendly platform. The platform features minimal 'PG-13' (70 titles) and 'R' rated content (30 titles), catering primarily to a younger and more general audience.
 |
|---|
| Fig. 3: Rotten Tomatoes Ratings by Platform |
Hulu's library displays a balanced distribution of ratings, with a median score range of 60-80 for both movies and TV shows. Hulu’s content shows a wide but balanced interquartile range (IQR), suggesting a good mix of moderately to highly-rated content without extreme lows.
Disney+ maintains consistent content quality, with a median score of around 60. The platform’s narrower IQR indicates a tighter clustering of content ratings, reflecting a focus on maintaining a steady level of quality across its library with fewer extreme highs or lows in ratings.
Netflix features a diverse range of content quality, with a median score in the 60-80 range for TV shows and 40-60 for movies. However, it has a broader range of ratings, including some very low and very high scores.
Prime Video’s content shows a lower median rating, around 60 for TV shows and 40-60 for movies, with wider variability in content quality, including a higher proportion of lower-rated titles for TV shows.
 |
|---|
| Fig. 4: Content Quality Distribution by Platform |
Netflix offers the most extensive collection of quality TV shows and movies. It provides 1,312 movies and 629 TV shows meeting the quality threshold of 49 or more. Among these, it leads in high-quality content with 1,057 high-quality movies and 571 high-quality TV shows.
Prime Video also boasts a substantial catalogue, featuring 1,372 medium-quality movies and 301 TV shows. Despite having the lowest percentage of high-quality content, especially for TV shows, the sheer volume of quality titles establishes Prime Video as a significant competitor in the streaming market.
Hulu stands out for its high percentage of quality content in both TV shows and movies. It offers 469 TV shows with quality scores of 49 or more and 402 movies meeting the same threshold. It has a substantial number of high-quality TV shows (552) and movies (485), but its overall total is lower than that of Netflix and Prime Video.
Disney+ has the lowest total count of medium-quality TV shows (118) and movies (330). It also has fewer high-quality titles (67 TV shows and 359 movies) compared to other platforms.
 |
|---|
| Fig. 5: High-Quality Content Releases |
Netflix shows a strong commitment to high-quality content. From 2011 to 2018, Netflix's TV show releases grew from 15 to 75, and movie releases increased from 30 to 133. However, these declined in 2020 and 2021, with TV shows dropping to 67 and movies to 96 in 2020, and further to 35 and 47, respectively, in 2021. Despite these recent declines, Netflix continues to lead in high-quality content across the board.
Hulu performed strongly in movies, growing from 17 releases in 2011 to a peak of 47 in 2019. However, since then, Hulu has faced declines in both TV shows and movies. TV show releases dropped from 36 in 2015 to 13 in 2021, while movie releases plummeted to 36 in 2020 and 17 in 2021.
Prime Video has grown steadily in TV shows and maintains a strong movie presence. The platform demonstrates consistent TV show releases, peaking at 21 titles in 2016, but declining to 9 in 2021. Meanwhile, its movie output remains strong, peaking at 45 titles in 2019 before experiencing a sharp decline to 8 titles in 2021.
Disney+ consistently offers high-quality content but at a lower volume compared to its competitors. The platform saw an increase in both TV show and movie releases in 2021, with TV shows reaching 11 and movies showing a steady, though modest, output of 7 releases in 2021.
 |
|---|
| Fig. 6: High-Quality Content per Dollar |
Netflix offers the highest value, providing 81 high-quality TV shows and 151 high-quality movies per dollar. This is significantly higher than other platforms, indicating a good return on investment for subscribers seeking quality content. The platform also features the cheapest plan at $6.99 per month.
Hulu offers a solid value at $7.99 per month, offering 69 high-quality TV shows and 60 high-quality movies per dollar. However, it is still less cost-effective than Netflix, which offers a greater volume of high-quality content for a lower price.
Prime Video, at $8.99 per month, delivers 29 high-quality TV shows and 78 high-quality movies per dollar. Although it is the most expensive option, Prime Video excels in providing high-quality movies compared to Hulu and Disney+.
Disney+ offers 8 high-quality TV shows and 44 high-quality movies per dollar. Despite costing the same as Hulu ($7.99 per month), Disney+ provides significantly lower value for high-quality TV content and is the least cost-effective platform overall.
This project is licensed under the terms & conditions (T&Cs) of the Apache License 2.0. If you're interested in reading more about it, please take a look at the LICENSE document.