Streaming: Prime Video ahead, Netflix trailing and Hbo Max tiptoeing in
Market stable but under pressure in Q1 2026: leaders close, growth slowing. The entry of HBO Max signals that the competition is far from closed
The image of the streaming market in Italia at the beginning of 2026 is not one of revolution, but of constant pressure. No earthquake. Rather a fault line that continues to move under the feet of the big operators. Prime Video remains in the lead with 24%, Netflix is right next door at 23%, Disney+ holds firm on the third step of the podium at 19%. All very close, all very compressed.
The methodology
The data released by JustWatch covers the first three months of the year. The methodology measures user interest through watchlists, searches, clicks on streaming offers, filters and platform choices on the site and app. It is therefore not a snapshot of subscriptions in the strict sense, but of the level of attention and intention to use.
The streamers' podium
Against this backdrop, the numbers reveal the features of a market in Italia that has now entered a phase of competitive maturity. Prime Video retains the leadership, but the distance from Netflix is only one percentage point. A whisker. All the more so since both lost one point compared to the previous quarter. This is a sign of an industry in which growth does not only mean gaining new users, but above all taking attention away from others. And attention, in the digital economy, is the scarcest raw material. Disney+ appears solid in its third position: 19% remains unchanged and confirms a now structural base.
The chasers
Further back Apple TV+ is stationary at 8%, while NOW/Sky rises from 6% to 7% and noses ahead of Infinity+, stable at 6%. Paramount+ remains at 5%. Then, in the undergrowth that often anticipates the most interesting movements, Discovery+ grows from 2% to 3%, Mubi remains at 1% and, above all, Hbo Max appears, which landed in Italia on 13 January and is already credited with a 1% share.
