With the novel coronavirus wreaking havoc across the globe, nearly all major cities have been put under lockdown. Governments are imposing social distancing norms to keep people safe and halt further spread of the virus, which has now infected nearly 2 million people worldwide.

As the majority of the global population is spending time indoors, they are resorting to streaming entertainment content. Consequently, various streaming service providers have been witnessing rise in subscriptions.

Online Streaming Gets a Push

The online streaming industry has been gaining momentum over the past few years. With cord-cutting becoming a rising trend supported by advancement in technology and availability of multiple service providers, customers now have a host of choices.

In fact, amid these hard times, when other businesses are struggling to survive, streaming services are trending north. Netflix, Inc. (NFLX - Free Report) has for long led this industry but now has a number of strong competitors. The Walt Disney Company (DIS - Free Report) recently witnessed a spike in subscriptions for its streaming service, Disney+.

Disney+ that comprises films and TV shows from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic has added more than 50 million subscribers since its launch in November 2019. The entertainment giant had originally aimed for around 60-90 million subscribers by the end of fiscal 2024.

The availability of newer and original content along with huge portfolio of movies keeps both young and old glued to these platforms. Evidently, per a Recurly Inc. report, paid subscriptions for streaming TV and video jumped 32% in the week ending Mar 16.

In other words, COVID-19 has helped the already growing streaming industry to gain more strength. According to the Global Video Streaming Market report, global video streaming market size was pegged at $42.6 billion in 2019. The report suggests that the industry will touch $149.34 billion by 2026, registering CAGR of 18.3% during 2020 to 2027.

4 Stocks to Watch

As the current global scenario requires people to stay at home, demand for online streaming will continue to rise. Hence, we have shortlisted four streaming stocks that can make the most of the coronavirus crisis.

Gaia, Inc. (GAIA - Free Report) operates a digital video subscription service and online community for underserved member base worldwide. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter is 55.6% compared with the Zacks Broadcast Radio and Television industry’s projected earnings growth of 34.9%. Gaia sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Netflix streams content through a host of Internet-connected screens, including TVs, digital video players, television set-top boxes, and mobile devices. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 45.3% compared with the Zacks Broadcast Radio and Television industry's projected earnings growth of 1.1%. Netflix carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) offers Apple TV, a small box that connects to your TV via its HDMI port. The device helps to watch streaming services from the Internet on iPhone, iPad, or Mac or television screen.

The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the next year is 24.5% compared with the Zacks Computer - Mini computers industry’s projected earnings growth of 14.6%. Apple carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) provides a video streaming service through Amazon Prime Video. The platform offers exclusive Amazon Originals, along with popular movies and TV shows. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is nearly 22% against the Zacks Internet - Commerce industry’s projected earnings decline of 2.6%. Amazon.com carries a Zacks Rank #3.