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# Streaming Surges On, But Smart TV App Usage Plateaus
- URL: https://tvrev2beta2.ghost.io/streaming-surges-on-but-smart-tv-app-usage-plateaus/
- Published: 2024-03-20T12:01:18.000Z
- Updated: 2024-03-20T12:01:18.000Z
- Author: Eleanor Semeraro
- Tags: Streaming Wars, Inscape, TV measurement, #sqs, #Import 2026-09-03 21:06, Data

Streaming continued to capture a higher share of TV viewing time than cable, satellite or over-the-air antenna at the end of last year, according to Inscape’s recently-released [Q4 2023 TV Market Trends report](https://www.inscape.tv/resources/insights/2023/market-trends-report-q4-2023?ref=tvrev2beta2.ghost.io). The analysis, which looked at consumer behavior across the last quarter of 2023 compared to previous years, revealed that streaming’s share of viewing time has increased from 49.3% to 57.5% in Q4 since 2021, while cable/satellite has fallen from 41.5% to 33.8%. 

While the above is not exactly shocking — [streaming has been eating away at traditional viewing methods for a while now](https://tvrev2beta2.ghost.io/data-streaming-has-taken-the-tv-remote-and-powered-a-fast-change/) — Inscape’s report also surfaces a notable trend: Smart TV app usage has leveled off over the last nine months, landing at around 5.5 native apps used per device. Inscape notes that this is “perhaps a sign to the market that consumers have had their fill and are simply fatigued by an endless array of subscriptions and authentications to navigate.” 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/18/4b/184bce7f-90ef-4333-95df-ad6ebcbdad98/content/images/images-squarespace-cdn-com/content/v1/60df3ea739725c04ca27d651/a3e325f8-2589-455a-abf2-4c789bbf2973/inscapeappusage-format-original.png)

This data supports the strategic value on display as media companies start to consolidate holdings. HBO was ahead of the game, combining HBO Max and Discovery+ into Max last year, while Disney is in the process of merging Hulu and Disney+ into a “one-app experience.” While not exactly apples to apples, Paramount is also dipping its toe into the water by renaming both its streaming app and the Showtime cable channel as “Paramount+ With Showtime” — a marketing move likely to try and spark more streaming signups. 

Consider the above, and six apps have just been made into three. This is a positive sign for consumers, currently crushed under myriad entertainment options, because one less app to find is only a good thing. 

TVREV’s Alan Wolk has written extensively about the “[great rebundling,](https://www.tvrev.com/news/tag/The+Great+Rebundling?ref=tvrev2beta2.ghost.io)” albeit from a lens of promoting ad-support tiers, while Magnite’s SVP, Platform Revenue Mike Laband [noted in his predictions for 2024](https://tvrev2beta2.ghost.io/hot-takes-our-thought-leader-circle-members-predictions-for-2024/) the desire for simplicity in a medium that has grown increasingly complex, with “an overwhelming number of streaming apps, presenting consumers with an array of options and decisions - perhaps too much when they want to lean back and relax. “

So the great rebundling may not just be about MVPDs teaming up with streamers to offer deals on ad-supported tiers, but about the things themselves that consumers must use to get what they want: The app on the smart TV. 

You can download Inscape’s full Q4 2023 TV Market Trends Report [here](https://www.inscape.tv/resources/insights/2023/market-trends-report-q4-2023?ref=tvrev2beta2.ghost.io).