NPDSVODTVSubs2Netflix dominates the streaming media world, but Hulu and Amazon have been making small gains in viewership, according to new data released this morning by the NPD Group market research firm.

netflix-imageLooking at the TV category, which accounts for 80 percent of streaming media, Netflix holds a strong grip on the market through Q1 of 2013 with an 89 percent share, down four percent from the same time last year.

While HuluPlus and Amazon are far from Netflix, both are increasing viewership. HuluPlus had 10 percent of TV streams — up from seven percent last year — while Amazon Prime had two percent, up just one percent from the same time last year.

amazoninstant“Since its launch, Netflix Watch Instantly has enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the subscription video-on-demand market, and the company still has a quite comfortable market-share lead,” Russ Crupnick, senior VP of industry analysis at NPD, said in a release. “While Hulu Plus and Amazon both still have a long way to go before they come close to catching Netflix, we are beginning to see increasing trial of these services, even among some Netflix users.”

At the same time last year, 76 percent of streaming subscribers used Netflix exclusively, but that dropped to 67 percent in 2013. The data in this report came from surveys from 46,403 subscription video-on-demand subscribers, then was weighted to represent U.S. population of Internet users.

Earlier Tuesday, Amazon announced a streaming deal with Viacom Networks that brings a broad selection of exclusive children’s programming to the Amazon Prime Instant Video service, following the expiration of Netflix’s deal with Viacom. Shows included in the deal include popular kids programming such as Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, SpongeBob SquarePants and Blue’s Clues.

Also recently, Amazon named the five shows that will move into production as the Seattle company’s first original TV series.

Previously on GeekWire: Amazon inks deal with NBCUniversal to stream Grimm, Smash, Curious George

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