The so-called “streaming wars” have been raging for years now.
As streaming platforms continue to compete for subscribers, our research shows that a significant proportion of streamers plan to change the mix of platforms they’re subscribed to – we call them the FlexiVODs. As subscribers move from platform to platform, advertisers are left with a challenge: reaching these on-the-move audiences.
40% of Canadian streamers plan to change their streaming subscriptions in the next year
According to our most recent study, 2026 VOD Evolution, FlexiVOD behaviour has settled into a constant churn, with 40% of Canadian streamers now planning to change their streaming services in some way in the next year.
Among those:
- 14% plan to subscribe to a new paid streaming service
- 13% plan to cancel a paid-for streaming service
- 12% plan to switch from one paid-for subscription to another one
- 12% plan to resubscribe to a paid-for service they had cancelled
While the proportion of those subscribing to new services, cancelling paid ones, switching or resubscribing has remained steady, the proportion of those downgrading their services has declined (12% in 2024 to 9% in 2025). This suggests that those who wanted to downgrade, likely to ad-supported tiers, have already done so and show no signs to leave.
Subscriber churn is driven by two primary factors: cost and content. Viewers typically migrate either to reduce expenses or access specific programming.
This FlexiVOD behaviour hasn’t gone unnoticed by the streaming platforms themselves, which are thinking up ways to retain subscribers for longer.
Streaming platforms are working to foster loyalty among subscribers
To gain an upper hand during the “streaming wars”, and incentivise existing subscribers to stick around, platforms are implementing a range of retention strategies.
- Bundles: In 2025 Bell Canada, which owns Crave, signed a deal with Netflix and Disney+. The deal let Bell customers bundle all three services at a cheaper price than if they’d subscribed to each service individually.
- Perks: Another approach is to offer subscribers unique perks. For example, via the Disney+ Perks program, subscribers can access discounts on merchandise or food orders, chances to win gadgets or gift cards, and special tickets to the Disney World Resort, among other benefits.
Despite these efforts, our research suggests that FlexiVOD behaviour is here to stay – apparently the customer’s purse for streaming services is finite, and as TV and movie content changes hands, subscribers will change services to get to it.
To ensure their campaigns work across streaming services, brands need a strategy that works across platforms.
Roku owns the streamer’s journey across different platforms
For many streamers, Roku is the operating system for the TV streaming experience. From the Home Screen to SVOD, AVOD, BVOD and beyond, Roku owns the journey.
Roku subscribers spend longer on the service than on any other platform – more than half of Roku streaming households use the platform 20 days a month.
Every time a subscriber turns on their TV, they see the Home Screen, where they start that journey. From there, they spend an average of 12 minutes looking for something to watch.
Our research found that streamers are frustrated by content being scattered across different platforms – 70% say there are too many streaming services to keep track of, while 59% are “annoyed” that their favourite shows and movies are spread across too many services. Brands advertising with Roku can provide help by sponsoring a curated playlist of content that streamers will love.
We know what content will land best because we understand our subscribers – Roku has more than 100+ audience segments based on first-party data, including interests and demographics, and as we observe streaming behaviour, we continue to gain measurable insights.
This valuable data helps us learn about streamers' behaviour and preferences, so that advertisers can create targeted campaigns that deliver the right messaging to the right audience at the right time.
To find out more about Canadian streamers’ changing behaviour, and how Roku can help brands reach their audiences with campaigns that delight, download the 2026 VOD Evolution whitepaper:
