As 2026 unfolds, the streaming business is consolidating even as investment in content expands, leading to more than a bit of audience confusion. That is a problem for streamers seeking to be top of mind as consumers make subscription decisions. 

Paramount Skydance plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and align HBO Max with Paramount+. Executives there also plan to fold BET+ into Paramount+ this year to scale reach and streamline offerings. 

Meanwhile, Disney is deepening its Hulu integration by bringing its content into the Disney+ app. The company has signaled a move toward a single viewing destination with distinct brand hubs for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. 

Across the industry, streamers are scaling up ad-supported tiers and lean harder into live sports as they compete for audience attention and ad dollars. Yet, even as services pour billions into original programming, viewers struggle to explain what truly differentiates one streaming brand from another. 

That gap between investment and perception sets the stage for new research from Hub Entertainment. Its study, Evolution of Video Branding, examines how TV and streaming brands shape viewer decision-making in an increasingly crowded marketplace. The findings show strong brand recognition but weak brand clarity. Roughly two-thirds of viewers say they feel confident explaining how a streamer differs from competitors. That figure shows no improvement from last year, suggesting that confidence outpaces actual clarity. 

Exclusive originals no longer drive streaming differentiation 

Many services attempt to stand out through exclusive original programming, but that strategy no longer delivers the impact it once did. Original series now appear across nearly every major platform, turning exclusivity into an expectation rather than a true differentiator. 

Hub’s research highlights the limits of that approach. Viewers still cite exclusive originals as a key differentiator for leading services. However, they struggle to identify meaningful differences in value, usability, or content focus. As a result, scripted content feels increasingly interchangeable across platforms, making it harder for viewers to associate any one service with a distinct genre or identity. 

Viewers cannot remember where to watch programming 

Confusion also extends to where shows live. In a crowded streaming environment, viewers frequently forget which platform carries which title. Less than half of viewers correctly identify where to watch signature series such as Landman on Paramount+, The Pitt on HBO Max, or High Potential on Hulu within Disney+. Awareness drops even further for newer buzz-driven titles. Barely one in 10 viewers correctly identifies HBO Max as the home of Heated Rivalry. 

That confusion carries real consequences. If viewers cannot remember where a show lives, that show fails to reinforce the brand behind it. Original programming loses power as a brand signal when it does not anchor clearly to a service in viewers’ minds. 

For streamers, sports still breaks through the noise 

Sports programming shows a greater ability to cut through the interchangeable scripted landscape in Hub’s research. Peacock’s February coverage of the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics drives stronger differentiation around sports. It underscores that live, culturally significant events can deliver clear brand signals. 

YouTube moves closer to a TV identity 

While traditional streamers wrestle with differentiation, YouTube continues to move deeper into the television conversation. Long viewed primarily as a social and creator driven platform, YouTube increasingly functions like a TV network in the eyes of many viewers. 

Hub’s research shows a near split between viewers who see YouTube as a creator platform and those who see it as a TV or streaming service. Younger audiences lead that shift. Thirty-two percent of viewers under the age of 35 consider YouTube more of a TV or streaming service, compared with 24% of viewers age 35 and older. The growth of long form content and living room viewing pushes YouTube further into traditional television territory. 

As consolidation accelerates and platforms bundle more content under fewer destinations, scale alone does not solve the branding problem facing streamers. Hub’s research shows that brand clarity comes less from the volume of originals and more from the consistency of what a service represents to viewers. Services that send clear signals around value, quality, genre focus, or viewing experience stand out more, even as individual programs blur together in viewers’ minds.