Apple TV+ Overtakes Paramount Plus As Australia’s Streaming Market Shifts In Q2 2026

Netflix remains Australia’s most-watched streaming platform but its grip on the market is loosening, with new data from streaming guide JustWatch showing the service lost four percentage points of market share over the past year, the largest annual decline of any major platform tracked in the report.

The Q2 2026 data, based on more than six million streaming interactions on the JustWatch app and website in Australia between April and June 2026, tracks user interest and engagement across almost 80 subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) providers. The findings point to a market where the established leaders are gradually shedding share while smaller platforms pick up ground.

Netflix leads but the gap is narrowing

Netflix holds 20 per cent of the Australian SVOD market in Q2 2026, maintaining a one percentage point lead over Amazon Prime Video at 19 per cent. Both platforms held steady quarter on quarter, with no measurable movement between Q1 and Q2 2026.

The annual picture tells a different story. Netflix’s share has fallen four percentage points since Q2 2025, the largest year-on-year decline of any named platform in the report. Amazon Prime Video also declined, dropping two percentage points over the same period, but at half the rate of its closest rival.

The two services still command a combined 39 per cent of the market, but that figure was 45 per cent a year ago. The share they have shed has not flowed to a single challenger but has instead been distributed across several smaller platforms and the long tail of niche services.

Disney Plus and Stan both lose ground

Disney Plus holds third position with 17 per cent of the market, followed by Stan at 10 per cent. Both platforms were stable quarter on quarter but have declined on an annual basis.

Disney Plus fell two percentage points year on year, while Stan slipped by a smaller one percentage point over the same period. The result is that the gap between the two services is narrowing even as both trend downward. A year ago, Disney Plus held a nine percentage point lead over Stan. That gap has now closed to seven points.

For Stan, the slower rate of decline is a relative positive in a market where larger international platforms are losing share more quickly. The locally-owned service, operated by Nine Entertainment, continues to hold a double-digit share of the market despite competing against global players with larger content budgets.

Apple TV+ and Paramount Plus swap positions

The most notable movement in the quarter came from Apple TV+ and Paramount Plus, which moved in opposite directions to end up tied at eight per cent each.

Apple TV+ gained one percentage point during the quarter, climbing from seven to eight per cent. Paramount Plus dropped one percentage point over the same period, falling from nine to eight per cent. The two platforms have effectively swapped positions since Q1 2026.

On an annual basis, both services have been stable, with no measurable change since Q2 2025. The quarterly shift suggests that Apple TV+ is gaining some momentum in the Australian market, though whether it can sustain that trajectory will depend on its content pipeline through the second half of 2026.

Binge records the largest annual decline

Binge posted the largest annual decline of any named platform in the JustWatch data, falling three percentage points over the past year to reach seven per cent of the market. The service also dropped one percentage point quarter on quarter.

The decline is notable given Binge’s positioning as a premium entertainment platform in the Australian market. Operated by Foxtel’s streaming division, the service has faced increasing competition from both international platforms and the expanding content libraries of rivals like Stan and Disney Plus.

Meanwhile, HBO Max moved in the opposite direction, adding one percentage point during the quarter to reach two per cent of the market. While still a small player in Australia, the service has doubled its share from one per cent, suggesting it is beginning to find an audience.

Smaller services are the collective winner

The “Others” category, which captures the long tail of smaller streaming services beyond the major named platforms, posted the largest quarterly gain in the entire market, climbing four percentage points to reach nine per cent. On an annual basis, the category grew two percentage points.

That growth pattern suggests Australian viewers are increasingly spreading their streaming activity across a wider range of services rather than concentrating their attention on the major platforms. The proliferation of niche and specialist streaming services covering areas such as sport, international content and genre-specific programming is contributing to a gradual fragmentation of the market.

The state of play at mid-year

The full market share breakdown for Q2 2026 places the platforms in the following order: Netflix at 20 per cent, Amazon Prime Video at 19 per cent, Disney Plus at 17 per cent, Stan at 10 per cent, Apple TV+ and Paramount Plus tied at eight per cent each, Binge at seven per cent, HBO Max at two per cent and other services collectively at nine per cent.

The data shows a market where the top three platforms still command 56 per cent of user interest but where the direction of travel favours smaller and mid-tier services. Every platform in the top four lost share on an annual basis, while Apple TV+, HBO Max and the collective “Others” category either grew or held stable.

What the data measures

JustWatch’s market shares are calculated based on user engagement on its website, smart TV and mobile apps. User interest in Australia is measured by tracking actions such as adding movies or TV series to a watchlist, clicking through to a streaming service, filtering across multiple services and marking titles as watched.

The data reflects user interest and engagement rather than subscriber numbers or revenue. A platform’s share in the JustWatch data indicates how much attention it commands among active streaming consumers rather than how many people pay for a subscription.

Figures in the report are rounded to the nearest whole percentage point, and platforms with fluctuations smaller than plus or minus 0.5 percentage points are classified as stable or unchanged.

JustWatch operates across 140 countries with more than 60 million monthly users. The company is headquartered in Berlin with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Munich and London. The full streaming charts for Australia are available on the JustWatch website.

Last Updated on July 18, 2026 by Nick Ross