There's certainly plenty to watch across the various video-streaming services. Possibly too much, according to Nielsen, which reports that the number of movies and TV shows on these services has increased by 39% over the last two years
For number buffs, the number of individual titles is now at 2.7 million, almost 1 million more than was available two years ago.
Nielsen attributes the change to a variety of factors, including a massive increase in free TV streaming services from services like Tubi, Plex, and Haystack. All in all, Nielsen says there are nearly 40,000 total channels and streaming sources. These services are standalone offerings but also integrate into other services like YouTube TV, which currently boasts over 800 free channels alongside its traditional broadcast TV lineup.
There are negative aspects to having too many things to watch. Nielson reports that people spend over 10 minutes on average deciding what to watch. That's 41% higher than in 2019, when people were spending a little over seven minutes deciding what to watch. People are also watching more, with US audiences streaming over 19 million years' worth of content in 2022, which is also 27% higher than in 2021.
Skipping right passed the studies that suggest that watching too much TV rots your brain, ad-supported streaming is on the rise, and it seems a new must-watch TV show is coming out every week. In the US at least people already believe there are too many streaming services. The number went up to 167 from 118 two years ago, so they may be on to something.
