Global streaming subscription revenue hit $157B in 2025, Ampere says

Global streaming subscription revenue surpassed $150 billion for the first time in 2025, reaching a record $157.1 billion — a 14% year-over-year increase that marks a tripling of the $50 billion recorded during the pandemic year of 2020, according to new research from Ampere Analysis published Sunday.mediaplaynews+1

The findings underscore a streaming industry that has shifted from a growth-at-all-costs subscriber race to a maturing business focused on wringing more revenue from existing audiences through price hikes and ad-supported plans.

The U.S. and Netflix Lead the Way

The United States remains the engine of the global streaming economy, accounting for 50% of worldwide subscription revenue in 2025. Netflix ↘ 2.86% is the single largest contributor to the U.S. market, with its revenue rising 14% in 2025 after the company implemented across-the-board price increases at the start of that year.deadline+1

Ampere forecasts that subscription revenue will grow a further 29% over the next five years, surpassing $200 billion globally by 2030. When advertising revenue is included, streaming services generated $177 billion worldwide in 2025, with advertising expected to add another $42 billion in annual revenue by 2030.mediaplaynews+1

Ad-Supported Tiers Reshape the Business

Perhaps the most striking structural change in the industry is the rapid rise of ad-supported subscription tiers. Their share of total streaming subscription revenue climbed from less than 5% in 2020 to 28% in 2025, according to Ampere. In mature, crowded markets such as North America and Western Europe, these hybrid subscription-and-advertising models have become the primary engine of the next phase of expansion.todotvnews+2

"As the streaming market matures, the emphasis is no longer on pure subscriber growth but on extracting greater value from existing audiences," said Lauren Liversedge, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis. "Price optimization and the rise of ad-supported tiers are driving revenue growth, particularly in the most competitive markets."mediaplaynews

A Broader Industry Shift

The Ampere data fits within a wider consensus that streaming has entered a new era. Separate research from Omdia last year projected global video streaming revenue of $214.6 billion in 2025 when including all online video categories, with advertising revenue from the five largest U.S. subscription services expected to reach $24.3 billion by 2030. PwC has similarly forecast the U.S. streaming market alone will exceed $112 billion by 2029.variety+1

The question now is how long price increases and ad-tier adoption can sustain double-digit growth before consumer resistance sets in — a tension Ampere's own projections implicitly acknowledge by forecasting a slower 29% gain over the next five years compared with the tripling achieved in the last five.