Streaming services can breathe a sigh of relief – for now.

After slipping 2.6% last year, customer satisfaction with video streaming services is steady with a score of 74 (on a scale of 0 to 100), according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) Telecommunications Study 2021-2022.

Consumers still favor streaming over all the other telecommunications industries – and its lead over the next closest industry jumps to 4 points – but subscription TV and video-on-demand services both make headway.

Of the five telecom industries covered in this study – subscription television service, internet service providers (ISPs), landline phone service, video-on-demand service, and video streaming service – subscription TV and video on demand are the only ones to improve year over year.

“After bearing the brunt of customers’ ire last year, streaming services experience some much needed stability. But this isn’t time to rest on their laurels,” says Forrest Morgeson, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “Thanks to the effort of the smaller subscription TV services, the entire industry sees a slight uptick in customer satisfaction, cutting into the streamers’ lead once again. We don’t expect streaming to be overtaken anytime soon, but ‘Stranger Things’ have happened.”

Microsoft Store moves past Disney+ in video streaming industry

The video streaming industry includes both subscription services like Netflix and pay-per-view offerings such as movies and TV shows purchased through Microsoft Store.

This year, Microsoft Store storms to the top of the video streaming leaderboard, surging 3% to an ACSI score of 79.

Last year’s leader Disney+ is stable at 78 but finishes second with the group of smaller streaming services, which improve 5% year over year. Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) and Google’s YouTube TV rise 5% and 3%, respectively, to 77, just ahead of DIRECTV STREAM, up 6% to 76.

Apple TV App (up 1%), Google Play (up 1%), and Hulu (unchanged) all score 75, while Amazon Prime Video (unchanged), Netflix (down 1%), and Amazon’s Twitch (down 3%) are each at 74.

HBO Max slips 3% to 73, tying ACSI newcomer ESPN+. Four companies score 72: Comcast’s Peacock (up 1%), Showtime (unchanged), DISH Network’s Sling TV (unchanged), and Comcast’s Vudu (down 1%).

Starz sits near the bottom of the industry after stumbling 5% to 70. Apple TV+ (down 4%) and Crackle (up 1%) tie for last with scores of 69.

U-verse stays atop subscription TV

Customer satisfaction with subscription TV service inches up 1.5% to an ACSI score of 66.

Fiber-optic providers set the pace. Despite a 1% slip, U-verse TV, now part of DIRECTV (spun off by AT&T last year), leads the way at 73. U-verse results are based on interviews with legacy subscribers only, as the service has been shut down to new subscribers for two years. A stable Verizon Fios is second at 71.

DIRECTV (unchanged) finishes third with a score of 66, followed by DISH Network and Comcast’s Xfinity, both slipping 2% to 65. The group of smaller subscription TV providers (up 2%) and Charter Communications’ Spectrum (down 2%) tie at 63. Meanwhile, Cox and Frontier Communications slide 2% and 3%, respectively, to meet at 61.

The bottom three companies sit below 60. Mediacom drops 2% to 58, Altice’s Optimum tumbles 5% to 57, and Altice’s Suddenlink slumps 4% to 54.

Verizon Fios leads among ISPs; T-Mobile makes strong industry debut

Customer satisfaction with ISPs decreases 1.5% to an ACSI score of 64.

Verizon Fios takes sole possession of first place after improving 1% to 72. In second place, T-Mobile appears in the ISP category for the first time with a score of 71, followed by AT&T Internet, down 3% to 69.

Comcast’s Xfinity slips 1% to 66, just ahead of the group of smaller ISPs, which soars 5% to an ACSI score of 65. Charter Communications’ Spectrum (unchanged) is next at 63, in front of Windstream, up 2% to 62.

Cox (down 3%) and Frontier Communications (up 7%) tie at 61. Lumen Technologies’ CenturyLink (down 3%) and Mediacom (unchanged) each score 60.

Two ISPs occupy the bottom of the industry with scores in the 50s. Altice’s Optimum slips 2% to 59, while Altice’s Suddenlink remains last after falling 4% to 53.

T-Mobile and Verizon Fios receive best marks for in-home Wi-Fi quality

T-Mobile and Verizon Fios top all ISPs in overall Wi-Fi quality at 76 apiece. AT&T Internet and Xfinity both score 72, ahead of the group of smaller ISPs and Cox, scoring 71 and 70, respectively.

Spectrum posts a quality score of 69, followed by Mediacom at 68. Optimum and Windstream both score 67, while Frontier Communications sits at 65 and Suddenlink comes in at 64. CenturyLink lands in last place with a score of 63.

Among third-party Wi-Fi equipment, TP-Link leads the way with a Wi-Fi quality score of 75. ASUS is next at 74, followed by LinkSys and Netgear at 72 apiece. The group of smaller third-party Wi-Fi equipment providers finishes last at 67.

Once again, customers using third-party Wi-Fi equipment are generally more satisfied than those relying on ISP-provided equipment. While ISP and third-party customers are equally satisfied with the security of their Wi-Fi connection (ACSI scores of 74), third-party equipment ranks higher for multiple device connections, range of service, avoiding service loss, upload/download speed, service restart, and price paid.

Verizon Fios shares top spot with U-verse among video-on-demand services

Customer satisfaction with the video-on-demand services of major cable, satellite, and fiber-optic subscription TV providers improves 1.5% to an ACSI score of 68.

Verizon Fios shares first place after climbing 3% to 73, tying DIRECTV’s U-verse TV, which is unchanged. Once again, U-verse results are based on interviews with just legacy subscribers, as the service has been shut down to new subscribers for some time.

Cox jumps 3% to 69, same as Charter Communications’ Spectrum (up 5%). Three companies score 67: DIRECTV (down 3%), DISH Network (down 3%), and Comcast’s Xfinity (down 6%).

The group of smaller video-on-demand services and Frontier Communications both score 63. The former is stable, while the latter tumbles 5%. Altice’s Optimum finishes last, plummeting 6% to 62.

Verizon takes advantage of AT&T’s slip among landline phone providers

Customer satisfaction with landline phone service dips 1.4% to an ACSI score of 70.

Verizon, unchanged at 74, becomes the industry leader after AT&T stumbles 3% to 73. The group of smaller landline providers is steady at 70, outpacing Windstream (up 3%) and Comcast’s Xfinity (unchanged) at 69 each.

Three companies score 67: Cox (down 1%), Charter Communications’ Spectrum (down 3%), and Vonage (down 7%). Altice’s Optimum (down 6%) follows suit at 66, just ahead of Lumen Technologies’ CenturyLink, unchanged at 65.

At the bottom of the industry, Altice’s Suddenlink falls 3% to 60, while Frontier Communications is last after sinking 5% to 59.

The ACSI Telecommunications Study 2021-2022 is based on interviews with 23,605 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between April 2021 and March 2022. Download the study, and Follow the ACSI on LinkedIn and Twitter at @theACSI.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) has been a national economic indicator for 25 years. It measures and analyzes customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in 47 industries and 10 economic sectors, including various services of federal and local government agencies. Reported on a scale of 0 to 100, scores are based on data from interviews with roughly 500,000 customers annually. For more information, visit www.theacsi.org.

ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.

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