Consumers today have access to a wide range of streaming content, but finding specific programs remains a challenge due to the lack of universal search tools across different platforms. According to new data from Gracenote‘s 2025 State of Play report, viewers now spend an average of 14 minutes searching for something to watch globally.

In the United States, the average search time has increased to 12 minutes, up from 10.5 minutes in 2023. While 75% of U.S. streaming viewers say they enjoy their streaming experience, 51% report that the growing number of services makes it harder to find desired content, and 53% feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options. The report also notes that 32% of viewers say this abundance negatively affects their enjoyment of TV, with the impact rising to 39% among those aged 18-24 and 40.5% for viewers aged 25-34.

• The number of individual streaming brands tracked has grown to nine, up from five in 2021.
• The five major subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services have expanded their content catalogs by 17% in 2025.
• There are now over 1,960 free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, a 21% increase in 2025.
• Global FAST channels have boosted content distribution by 11% in 2025, with sports and news ranking just behind entertainment as top genres.

Even when viewers know what they want to watch, the fragmented streaming landscape can make it difficult to locate specific programs. This is especially true for sports, where rights are spread across multiple platforms. For example, to watch the entire NFL season, a viewer would need access to NFL Sunday Ticket, ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, NFL Network, and Peacock. Similarly, a single MLB game between the Dodgers and Giants was available on 51 traditional TV channels, MLB TV, five virtual multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), and Prime Video at the local level.

This complexity can affect streaming providers as well. Nearly half of streaming viewers say they are likely to cancel a subscription if they cannot find something to watch. In the U.S., 25% of viewers report that they often give up searching for content and do something else instead, up from 20% in 2023.

The report also highlights that recommendations and search features need improvement. While 88% of U.S. streaming users value the overall user experience, 30% do not find current recommendations helpful. Additionally, 66% of viewers want a service that tells them where to find a specific program, even if it is on another platform, and the same percentage would prefer a single guide that lists all available content across services.

Gracenote points to the use of data and large language models (LLMs) as potential solutions to improve content discovery and recommendations. The company recently introduced the Gracenote Video Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, which can connect to LLMs used by streaming services to provide accurate and up-to-date content information. This trend is also seen in connected TV platforms like Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku, which are adding AI-powered features to enhance voice-based search and discovery.

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