Subscription TV Hits Record High While Video Streaming and Sports Betting Slip Despite Product Improvements, ACSI Data Show

ANN ARBOR, Mich., August 18, 2026--The entertainment industry that consumers spent a decade abandoning now posts the strongest customer satisfaction gains of any measured in this year's study.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Entertainment Study 2026, subscription TV service reaches its highest score since ACSI began measuring the industry, climbing 3% to an ACSI score of 72 (on a scale of 0-100) as every customer experience benchmark improves year over year. Video streaming service slips 1% to 77, and online sports betting and iGaming falls 3% to 74, even as both industries post improvements across content, platform performance, and app quality. Social media rises 1% to 75, the industry's highest score since ACSI began measuring it in 2010, and audio streaming service debuts at 80, the highest industry score of the five.

The results arrive during a period of rising subscription costs and mounting consumer fatigue. Deloitte's 2026 Digital Media Trends survey found that 73% of streaming consumers are frustrated with rising prices, around 40% cancel at least one paid service each year, and 61% say they would cancel their favorite service if monthly costs rose by just $5. The average subscribing household spends $69 per month on four streaming video services.

"Content and technology improved across the board this year, yet in most of these industries, satisfaction still declined or barely moved. That's because a better product is the baseline now; it doesn't move the needle," said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. "What moves satisfaction is making the whole experience simpler. Fewer accounts, easier billing, less time managing subscriptions. Subscription TV figured that out. Video streaming and sports betting are still adding features while customers are asking for less complexity. Until that changes, more features won't translate into higher satisfaction."

Other key takeaways from the study include:

Video Streaming Service

• Amazon Prime Video (unchanged), Paramount+ (down 1%), YouTube Premium (down 1%), and debuting Pluto TV share the top position in a four-way tie at 79. The Roku Channel enters at 78 and Tubi at 77, matching or beating several paid subscription services.

• Content benchmarks post the industry's strongest gains, led by variety of movies by category (up 5% to 81) and ease of using on-screen menus and programming guides (up 4% to 84). Price tolerance, loyalty, and service reliability all weaken.

• ESPN+ climbs 4% to 72 after ESPN launched its direct-to-consumer service in August 2025. Netflix slips 1% to 78 after raising its standard ad-free plan 16% to $17.99. Apple TV+ drops 3% to 75 following a 30% price increase to $12.99.

• Cord-stackers — consumers who maintain both streaming and subscription TV — remain the most satisfied segment at 80, while cord-nevers who have only ever streamed score the lowest at 75.