Apptopia analyzed the top streaming entertainment apps through the first two months in Q1 2026 to get a look at how things are trending this quarter. The data in this report is all U.S. mobile app data.

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) is cementing dominance through deepening engagement, HBO Max (NASDAQ: WBD) is the only major streamer posting meaningful daily active user growth, Peacock (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is quietly building itself into a sports-fueled streaming contender, while Disney+ and Hulu (NYSE: DIS) have both seen mobile app DAUs fall for seven of the last eight quarters.

TIME SPENT: EVERYONE IS GETTING STICKIER, BUT NETFLIX STILL LEADS THE WAY

Each streaming app we analyzed is so far set to post Q1 YoY gains in Average Time Spent per DAU. Netflix has the most quarterly sequential gains in a row, growing time spent per DAU five quarters in a row. It went from 64.7 minutes in Q4 2024 to 77.4 minutes so far in Q1 2026.

Hulu is not far behind Netflix, averaging 76.6 minutes per DAU. Disney+ is posting the largest YoY gain at +29.1%, averaging 57.4 minutes per day. Disney+ has the lowest time spent per DAU so far in Q1 2026, with 57.4 minutes. As fewer users open the app, the remaining viewers are watching significantly more than those who churned were watching.

When looking at Q1 2026, Peacock is sitting at 70.4 minutes per DAU, not too far back from Netflix and Hulu. HBO Max users averaged 63.4 minutes (+9.7% YoY), rebounding from a -2.2% decline in Q4 2025. HBO Max is also looking at the largest YoY gain in Q1 for time spent amongst 17-25 year olds, at 84.3%.

DAILY ACTIVE USERS: HBO MAX IS THE OUTLIER

HBO Max’s mobile DAU growth stands alone. In Q1 2026 (through February), HBO Max DAUs are up +29.5% YoY, extending an acceleration that began in 2Q25. This is the only major streamer showing positive DAU growth over multiple consecutive quarters.

Peacock is posting +13.7% YoY DAU growth in Q1 2026, a sharp reversal from -23.0% in Q1 2025. The Winter Olympics, exclusive NBA Tuesday nights, and a stacked content slate are pulling users back into the app. As Apptopia reported, compared to the past two Olympic Games on Peacock, Average Time Spent per DAU for the 2026 Winter Games was up significantly.

Apptopia analyzed its consumer mobile panel to break down Peacock’s viewership for the first 10 days of the Winter Olympics; a little less than one third (27%) were new users to Peacock, who had never had a session on the app before. A little less than that (23%) we defined as Resurrected Users. These are people who had “churned” but were re-engaged by the Olympics. The remaining 50% of users were already active users of Peacock. Apptopia will report on how many of those resurrected and new users ended up staying as soon as later this week.

“The streaming wars are no longer about who can add the most users but about who can keep them watching,” said Tom Grant, VP of Research at Apptopia. “HBO Max’s DAU growth is impressive on the surface, but if WBD (and soon, PSKY) can’t convert that top-of-funnel momentum into habitual viewership, they risk becoming a platform subscribers continually cancel and resubscribe to alongside content events. Peacock is the one I’d watch most closely (and I do, mainly for their cycling coverage!) as Comcast has found a durable engagement loop through live sports that no scripted content slate can replicate.  This is a structural advantage heading into the NBA playoffs.”

Disney+ and Hulu have both seen US DAUs fall for seven of the past eight quarters. Combining Disney+ and Hulu into one entity, we see it had a DAU market share of 23.6% in Q1 2024, and now has a share of 15.8% so far in Q1 2026. This market is made up of the aforementioned DIS entity as well as Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and Peacock.

Netflix DAUs are running -2.5% YoY, a notable improvement from -6.5% a year ago. For a platform with roughly 4x the DAUs of any competitor, modest declines are less alarming than they appear. Disney+ continues to lose daily mobile users at -14.9% YoY, though the rate of decline is improving from -20.9% a year ago.

CHURN: THE PEACOCK POWER USER SIGNAL

Netflix remains the retention king with a Churn Rate of 34.1% and a Power User Churn Rate of 13.8%. Apptopia defines Churn Rate as  the percentage of MAUs who were active between 30 and 60 days ago on an app but were not active on the app in the most recent 30 days. This is a user engagement statistic and not a paid subscriber statistic.

Peacock offers perhaps the most interesting Power User signal. Power Users represent the top 10% of users as judged by Time Spent. So far in Q1 2026, its Power User Churn Rate is at 16.9%, a 26.4% reduction, YoY. Peacock is the only app to show a YoY reduction in Power User Churn. The app is retaining its whales at rates approaching Netflix. Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh’s recent declaration that “domestic is our path” for Peacock, paired with exclusive NBA and Olympic rights, could be paying off.

HBO Max is on the other end of the spectrum. Of the apps analyzed, it has the highest rate of churn for All Users and Power Users. Its Power User Churn Rate has so far increased 51.1%, YoY. Hulu is another worrisome case with Power User Churn increasing 31.9%, YoY. 

GROWTH WITHOUT RETENTION IS A LEAKY BUCKET

The Q1 2026 data reveals a streaming landscape increasingly bifurcated between platforms building durable engagement and those cycling through users. Netflix remains the most complete platform with its lead in time spent, churn, and DAU market share. HBO Max is the most polarizing story: the only streamer with accelerating DAU growth and surging youth engagement, but also the highest churn across each cohort. Peacock may be the quarter’s most underappreciated player as the only app to reduce Power User Churn YoY, and with engagement approaching the market leaders. Disney+ and Hulu  present the clearest concern, with combined DAU share eroding from 23.6% to 15.8% in two years and Hulu’s Power User Churn spiking +31.9% YoY.