Industry Benchmarks · Top 10
Top 10 Sales KPIs in the Streaming Media and OTT Industry in 2027
Direct answer
Paid net additions is the top streaming sales KPI in 2027, followed by paid subscribers and ARPU. In Q2 2026 Paramount+ added 2.0 million subscribers to reach 81.6 million with ARPU of $8.52, while Netflix reported $12.6 billion of revenue but no membership count. Where the filings give no benchmark, this page says so.
At a glance
| # | Pick | Formula | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Streaming Paid Net Additions | Paid subscribers gained in the period minus those lost, taken from the change in each service’s reported period-end paid subscriber count | Any streaming seller: it shows whether sign-ups are outrunning cancellations and lost distribution deals |
| 2 | Streaming Paid Subscribers | Paid subscriptions at period end, including those sold direct, through third-party distributors and in bundles (Paramount+ definition) | Sales teams and investors sizing the paying base that every other KPI is measured against |
| 3 | Streaming ARPU | Total Paramount+ revenues in the period divided by the average of beginning and ending subscribers, further divided by the months in the period (Paramount definition) | Services judged on what each paying account is worth after price rises and bundles |
| 4 | Streaming Churn | Subscribers who cancel in a period divided by subscribers at the start of that period; the filings cited here do not give a streaming formula | Any seller of subscriptions, since a sign-up only pays off if the customer stays |
| 5 | Ad-Tier Share of Subscribers | Subscribers on the ad-supported plan divided by total subscribers, and the share of new sign-ups choosing that plan | Services selling a cheaper plan to grow sign-ups while building an advertising business |
| 6 | Streaming Advertising Revenue Growth | Advertising revenue in the period against the same period a year earlier | Ad-supported services and platforms selling inventory to brands |
| 7 | Revenue by Region | Quarterly revenue reported for each region: UCAN, EMEA, LATAM and APAC, in millions of dollars | Global sellers deciding where pricing and sign-up effort pay off |
| 8 | Subscription Price Increases | Change in average price per subscription, shown alongside the change in the number of subscriptions | Services deciding how far to lean on price rather than new sign-ups |
| 9 | Streaming Revenue Growth | Streaming or subscription revenue in the period against the same period a year earlier | Anyone comparing the top line across services |
| 10 | Streaming Hours | Aggregate time Roku streaming devices stream content on its platform in a period; Roku notes hours do not correlate with revenue period by period | Platforms and ad sellers, where engagement is the inventory that gets monetized |
Pick by what you want
Best overall
Streaming Paid Net Additions
Best for account value
Streaming ARPU
Best for retention
Streaming Churn
Best for ad plans
Ad-Tier Share of Subscribers
Best for engagement
Streaming Hours
The ranking
1
Streaming Paid Net Additions
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Answrs VerdictThe headline sales KPI.
Formula: Paid subscribers gained in the period minus those lost, taken from the change in each service’s reported period-end paid subscriber countParamount+, Q2 2026: Subscribers increased 2.0 million, or 3%, from 79.6 million at March 31, 2026, helped by UFC on Paramount+ and the premiere of Dutton RanchParamount+ offset: Growth was partly offset by a decrease of 1.8 million subscribers from the nonrenewal of international distribution agreements in JapanNetflix and Disney: No paid net additions figure appears in Netflix’s Q2 2026 shareholder letter or Disney’s June 2026 10-Q cited here
Paid net additions show whether sign-ups are outrunning cancellations. Paramount+ grew 2.0 million subscribers from 79.6 million in Q2 2026 even after losing 1.8 million subscribers in Japan.
Go ifAny streaming seller: it shows whether sign-ups are outrunning cancellations and lost distribution deals
Skip ifYou need a like-for-like comparison; services report different periods and definitions, and several no longer report counts
Why #1 over #2: It nets every sale against every loss, which is why it ranks first.
2
Streaming Paid Subscribers
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Answrs VerdictThe base-size KPI.
Formula: Paid subscriptions at period end, including those sold direct, through third-party distributors and in bundles (Paramount+ definition)Paramount+, June 30, 2026: 81.6 million subscribers, versus 76.8 million at June 30, 2025Fubo, June 30, 2026: Total North America subscribers of 5.75 million, versus 5.63 million a year earlier, growth of 2%Netflix: No membership count appears in the Q2 2026 shareholder letter or 10-Q cited here; the letter reports revenue and view hours instead
Paid subscribers size the base. Paramount+ had 81.6 million at June 30, 2026 and Fubo had 5.75 million in North America, while Netflix gives no count in the filings cited.
Go ifSales teams and investors sizing the paying base that every other KPI is measured against
Skip ifYou need a Netflix, Disney or Warner Bros. Discovery count; none is given in the filings cited here
Why #2 over #3: It is the base every other KPI is measured on, but it is a stock where net adds are a flow.
3
Streaming ARPU
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Answrs VerdictThe value-per-account KPI.
Formula: Total Paramount+ revenues in the period divided by the average of beginning and ending subscribers, further divided by the months in the period (Paramount definition)Paramount+, Q2 2026: ARPU of $8.52, up 12% from $7.64 in Q2 2025, on revenues of $2,061 million versus $1,771 millionRoku definition: Platform revenue for the trailing four quarters divided by the average of Streaming Households at the end of the current and prior-year periodsRoku, Q2 2026: Roku’s 10-Q lists Streaming Hours and Platform revenue as its key metrics and gives no ARPU figure
ARPU is revenue per average subscriber per month. Paramount+ reported $8.52 for Q2 2026, up from $7.64 a year earlier.
Go ifServices judged on what each paying account is worth after price rises and bundles
Skip ifYou compare services directly: each defines revenue and subscribers differently
Why #3 over #4: It prices each sale, which a subscriber count alone cannot.
4
Streaming Churn
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Answrs VerdictThe leak-in-the-bucket KPI.
Formula: Subscribers who cancel in a period divided by subscribers at the start of that period; the filings cited here do not give a streaming formulaPublished benchmark: None found: Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Paramount, Roku and Fubo cite no churn rate in the Q2 2026 filings used here. Third-party trackers such as Antenna publish churn but were not usedFubo, Q3 fiscal 2026: Customers referred from ESPN.com convert from free trials to paid subscriptions at higher levels than other channels and show favorable early retention indicatorsDisney, June 2026: Disney’s 10-Q lists the effect of bundling and pricing on churn and subscriber additions as a risk factor but gives no churn figure
Churn is the share of subscribers who cancel. None of the filings cited publish a rate, though Fubo reports favorable early retention for customers referred from ESPN.com.
Go ifAny seller of subscriptions, since a sign-up only pays off if the customer stays
Skip ifYou need an external benchmark; none is published in the sources cited
Why #4 over #5: It matters as much as ARPU, but no public benchmark exists in these filings.
5
Ad-Tier Share of Subscribers
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Answrs VerdictThe ad-plan sales KPI.
Formula: Subscribers on the ad-supported plan divided by total subscribers, and the share of new sign-ups choosing that planWarner Bros. Discovery, Q2 2026: Approximately 40% of global HBO Max subscribers were on the ad-supported tier at the end of the second quarter, an 11% increase year over yearSign-ups, Q2 2026: The ad-supported tier accounted for over half of retail subscriber gross adds during the quarterOther services: No ad-tier share of subscribers appears in the Netflix, Disney or Paramount filings cited here
Ad-tier share shows how many subscribers took the cheaper plan. Warner Bros. Discovery said approximately 40% of global HBO Max subscribers were on it and it drove over half of retail gross adds.
Go ifServices selling a cheaper plan to grow sign-ups while building an advertising business
Skip ifYour service has no ad-supported plan
Why #5 over #6: It explains where sign-ups come from, which ARPU hides.
6
Streaming Advertising Revenue Growth
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Answrs VerdictThe ad-monetization KPI.
Formula: Advertising revenue in the period against the same period a year earlierRoku, Q2 2026: Advertising revenue increased $133.8 million, or 25%, primarily due to an increase in video ad impressions deliveredWarner Bros. Discovery, Q2 2026: Streaming advertising revenue of $306 million versus $282 million, up 9% reported and 8% ex-FX, driven by more global ad-lite subscribers; absence of the NBA cut the growth rate by 16% ex-FXNetflix, 2026 forecast: On track for approximately $3 billion in ads revenue in 2026, a projected rough doubling
Advertising revenue growth shows ad monetization. Roku’s advertising revenue rose 25% in Q2 2026, Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming advertising rose 9%, and Netflix targets about $3 billion for 2026.
Go ifAd-supported services and platforms selling inventory to brands
Skip ifYou only sell subscriptions without an ad plan
Why #6 over #7: It applies only to services with ad inventory, so it ranks below the universal subscriber KPIs.
7
Revenue by Region
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Answrs VerdictThe where-it-sells KPI.
Formula: Quarterly revenue reported for each region: UCAN, EMEA, LATAM and APAC, in millions of dollarsNetflix, Q2 2026: UCAN revenue of $5,432 million, up 10%, and EMEA of $4,034 million, up 14%Netflix, Q2 2026, other regions: LATAM revenue of $1,584 million, up 21%, and APAC of $1,510 million, up 16%Revenue per member: Not published: Netflix’s shareholder letter gives regional revenue but no membership count or average revenue per membership
Revenue by region shows where sales land. Netflix reported $5,432 million in UCAN and $4,034 million in EMEA for Q2 2026, with LATAM up 21%.
Go ifGlobal sellers deciding where pricing and sign-up effort pay off
Skip ifYou need revenue per member by region; Netflix does not publish it in the filings cited
Why #7 over #8: It shows geography, but without a membership count it cannot show revenue per member.
8
Subscription Price Increases
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Answrs VerdictThe pricing-power KPI.
Formula: Change in average price per subscription, shown alongside the change in the number of subscriptionsRoku subscriptions, Q2 2026: Subscriptions revenue increased $111.7 million, or 26%, on an 11% increase in the number of subscriptions and a 25% increase in the average price per subscriptionDisney, Q3 fiscal 2026: Growth in subscription and affiliate fees included 3% from higher effective rates and 3% from more subscribersNetflix, Q2 2026: Results of its recent price changes were consistent with prior changes and its expectations; no price figures are given
Price increases lift revenue per account. Roku’s average price per subscription rose 25% while subscriptions rose 11%, and Disney credited 3% of fee growth to higher effective rates.
Go ifServices deciding how far to lean on price rather than new sign-ups
Skip ifYou need the churn cost of a price rise; none of the filings cited here quantify it
Why #8 over #9: It isolates price from volume, but it ignores any churn the increase causes.
9
Streaming Revenue Growth
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Answrs VerdictThe top-line KPI.
Formula: Streaming or subscription revenue in the period against the same period a year earlierNetflix, Q2 2026: Revenue of $12.6 billion grew 13% year over year, driven primarily by membership growth, pricing and increased ad revenueWarner Bros. Discovery, Q2 2026: Streaming revenues of $3,079 million versus $2,793 million, up 10% ex-FX; distribution revenue of $2,689 million versus $2,410 millionDisney, Q3 fiscal 2026: Entertainment subscription and affiliate fees of $7,545 million versus $6,765 million, up 12%, including 4% from the Fubo transaction
Streaming revenue growth is the top-line result. Netflix grew 13% to $12.6 billion in Q2 2026 and Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming revenues grew 10% ex-FX to $3,079 million.
Go ifAnyone comparing the top line across services
Skip ifYou need a pure streaming figure: Disney’s number covers its whole Entertainment segment
Why #9 over #10: It is the outcome of the KPIs above rather than a driver of sales.
10
Streaming Hours
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Answrs VerdictThe engagement KPI.
Formula: Aggregate time Roku streaming devices stream content on its platform in a period; Roku notes hours do not correlate with revenue period by periodRoku, Q2 2026: Streamed 37.9 billion hours versus 35.4 billion in Q2 2025, an increase of 7%Netflix, first half 2026: View hours grew 2% in H1’26 versus 1.5% growth in 2025Link to revenue: Roku earns Platform revenue from advertising, subscription revenue shares and transactions, but does not monetize every hour streamed
Streaming hours measure engagement. Roku streamed 37.9 billion hours in Q2 2026, up 7%, and Netflix view hours grew 2% in the first half, but Roku notes hours do not track revenue period by period.
Go ifPlatforms and ad sellers, where engagement is the inventory that gets monetized
Skip ifYou judge only subscription sales; hours alone do not turn into revenue
How we ranked these
We ranked KPIs on how directly they drive streaming sales and how clearly company filings define them, using Q2 2026 filings with the SEC by Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Roku, Paramount Skydance and FuboTV. Each figure is labeled with whose it is and which period it covers, since fiscal quarters and definitions differ. Where no benchmark is published, the page says so. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
What are the most important sales KPIs in the streaming media and OTT industry?
Paid net additions, paid subscribers, ARPU and churn show whether sales outrun cancellations and what each account is worth. In Q2 2026 Paramount+ reached 81.6 million subscribers with ARPU of $8.52.
Does Netflix still report paid net additions?
Not in the filings cited here. Netflix’s Q2 2026 shareholder letter reports revenue of $12.6 billion, up 13%, and regional revenue, but no membership count.
What share of streaming sign-ups choose the ad-supported plan?
Warner Bros. Discovery said the ad-supported tier accounted for over half of HBO Max retail subscriber gross adds in Q2 2026, and approximately 40% of global subscribers were on it.
Is there a published churn benchmark for streaming services?
Not in the SEC filings cited here. Third-party trackers such as Antenna publish churn, but their figures were not used on this page.
Netflix revenue by region, Q2 2026 at a glance
APAC1,510 $ millions
LATAM1,584 $ millions
EMEA4,034 $ millions
UCAN5,432 $ millions
Official sites
- Streaming Paid Net Additions · sec.gov
- Streaming Paid Subscribers · sec.gov
- Streaming ARPU · sec.gov
- Streaming Churn · sec.gov
- Ad-Tier Share of Subscribers · sec.gov
- Streaming Advertising Revenue Growth · sec.gov
- Revenue by Region · sec.gov
- Subscription Price Increases · sec.gov
- Streaming Revenue Growth · sec.gov
- Streaming Hours · sec.gov
Sources
Prices, specs and availability change; confirm on the official site before you buy.