Plex, a global streaming media platform, grew its monthly active users (MAU) to 16 million with billions of minutes watched and nearly tripled its annual ad revenue thanks to an extensive year of innovation. During the year, Plex introduced major product updates to enhance the streaming experience, doubled its FAST programming, and expanded its programming and viewership internationally.
Launch of Discover
In April, Plex launched Discover and Universal Watchlist, product features that made Plex the first and only streaming platform where users can easily search for and maintain a cross-platform watchlist of essentially any movie, documentary, or TV show ever made. In just nine months, 24 million titles have been added to Watchlists in Plex, consisting of more than 450,000 unique titles. The top watchlisted programs were largely franchises, in order: Black Adam, Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Additionally, millions of shows and movies have been deeplinked from Plex, with the top destinations being Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Plex, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies & TV, and Hulu.
Partner Growth
With a focus on providing content everyone can enjoy, Plex doubled down on partnership efforts in 2022. This year saw the launch of content on Plex from A24, Hallmark, Hearst, FOX, E.W. Scripps, Local Now, NBC Universal, PBS, Vevo, and more. These partnerships not only enhance Plex’s content offering, but demonstrate its commitment to providing a diverse range of free, high-quality entertainment for all types of viewers.
The Rise of FAST
As one of the first platforms to focus on free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, FAST viewership nearly doubled on Plex in 2022, with billions of minutes of FAST content watched. FAST channels on Plex now stand at over 300, with the top performing channels being A+E’s Crime 360, Hallmark Movies & More, and The Walking Dead on Stories by AMC.
Rapid International Growth
With content in 239 countries and 81 languages, Plex has, since its founding, focused on catering to its global audience. In 2022, minutes viewed more than doubled year-on-year in Australia, Canada, Mexico, UK, and South Africa. Minutes viewed in Spain grew 2X, with Brazil growing 3X. The international growth is largely attributed to a focus on new partners that provide highly engaging international content, including Rakuten, BBC, eOne, VVS, Trinity, and more.
