According to the gold standard of television ratings, Nielsen, this is the most recent breakdown of age and racial and ethnic demographics among the average user of all streaming services compared to the demographics of those who use Disney+ and Hulu.
We are sensitive to any story that highlights race and ethnicity and are presenting this information with no conclusions being drawn. It is illustrative of the current state of Disney+ and Hulu’s user profile and might help us understand future decisions made in terms of streaming content and marketing strategies. It is a reality that companies use demographic information to inform decisions and having this information may provide us with context for future changes coming to Disney’s direct to consumer division.
The general conclusion of the study is that Disney+ has a higher percentage of white users under 35 than the average streaming service. Hulu draws more Black viewers than Disney+ but less Hispanic streamers. Before we can look at how Disney+ and Hulu compare, we need to first look at the demographic make up of all streaming services studied.
According to a Nielsen report from May and June of 2021, the entire streaming population’s age and racial demographics are as follows:
Age Demographics for All Streaming Services in US
- 2-17 19%
- 18-34 23%
- 35-54 30%
- 55+ 28%
Using the age of 35 as the middle point, 35 and older users make up 58% of streamers and 34 and younger make up 42%. Compared to the overall population, where 55% of people are 35 and older and 45% are 34 and younger. This means that people 35 and older are streaming at higher rates than their population make up, pushing against conventional wisdom that streaming is more popular with younger people.
Race and Ethnic Demographics for All Streaming Services in US
- White 60%
- Black 17%
- Asian 4%
- Hispanic 17%
- Other (Non specific) 2%
Using a US population survey from 2019, Black people make up 12.5% of the US population (using 2019 figures) and account for 17% of total streamers. Asian Americans make up 5.9% of the US population (using 2019 figures) and only account for 4% of total streamers (according to Nielsen). White people account for 60% of streamers and 60.1% of the US population and Hispanic/Latino persons making up 17% of streamers and 18.5% of the US population.
How does Disney+ compare to the rest of the pack? According to Nielsen, the Disney+ user demographics are as follows:
Age Demographics for Disney+ Users in US
- 2-17 45% (vs 19% for all streamers)
- 18-34 23% (vs 23% for all streamers)
- 35-54 23% (vs 30% for all streamers)
- 55+ 9% (vs 28% for all streamers)
Clearly Disney+ users tend to be younger than your average streaming service. With a whopping 45% of streamers being under the age of 18. Those aged 55+ makeup more than a quarter of all streamers, but only 9% of Disney+ users.
Race and Ethnic Demographics for Disney+ Users in US
- White 69% (vs 60% for all streamers)
- Black 10% (vs 17% for all streamers)
- Asian 2% (vs 4% for all streamers)
- Hispanic 17% (vs 17% for all streamers)
- Other (Non specific) 2% (vs 2% for all streamers)
According to Nielsen’s data for June of 2021, Disney+ has a larger percentage of White users than the average of all streamers and falls below the average percentage for every other specific racial and ethnic demographic.
Race and Ethnic Demographics for Hulu Users in US (No Age Data was Available for Hulu)
- White 69% (vs 60% for all streamers)
- Black 17% (vs 17% for all streamers)
- Asian 2% (vs 2% for all streamers)
- Hispanic 10% (vs 17% for all streamers)
- Other (Non specific) 2% (vs 2% for all streamers)
These numbers are meant to be informative only. We draw no conclusions based on any of this information and simply are providing it from Nielsen’s tracking data.
It will be interesting to see how these demographic breakdowns shift over time.
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