Christmas movies study reveals which major streaming service has the best selection

A study reveals which of the three main streaming platforms has the best Christmas movies on offer to stream. (Getty)
A study reveals which of the three main streaming platforms has the best Christmas movies on offer to stream. (Getty)

Prime Video has the best selection of Christmas movies of the three major streaming services, according to new research from Betway.

The company's team looked at Prime, Netflix and Disney+, locating the five most popular festive films appearing on each of the platforms.

Read more: Best 21st century Christmas films

It then ranked them based on the average IMDb rating of the five movies, with Prime coming out on top thanks to an average rating of 7.5 — ahead of 7.3 for Disney+ and just 6.4 for Netflix.

Prime's supremacy came about largely because of the presence of It's a Wonderful Life — holder of a huge 8.6 rating on IMDb — as well as beloved holiday favourites Love Actually and Arthur Christmas.

It's a Wonderful Life is the highest-rated Christmas movie including in the streaming survey. (Paramount/CBS/Getty)
It's a Wonderful Life is the highest-rated Christmas movie including in the streaming survey. (Paramount/CBS/Getty)

Disney+ finished just behind thanks to heavy hitters like Home Alone and The Muppet Christmas Carol, which both have an impressive 7.7 rating, as well as The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Netflix, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact in the survey, despite being known for delivering a bouquet of rather variable Christmas movies every year.

Read more: Best modern Christmas movies available for families to stream

The highest-rated festive film included in the survey was the Netflix original The Christmas Chronicles, in which Kurt Russell plays Santa Claus, which secured a 7.0 on IMDb.

Even the service's classic offerings fared less well, with both How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Nativity! clocking in below 6.5.

The Christmas Chronicles, starring Kurt Russell, was the highest-rated of Netflix's selection of Christmas movies. (Netflix)
The Christmas Chronicles, starring Kurt Russell, was the highest-rated of Netflix's selection of Christmas movies. (Netflix)

All of the major streaming services invest heavily in Christmas movies every year, with the newer likes of Paramount+ and Apple TV+ also getting in on the act this year.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of festive treats in cinemas too, including the blood-soaked Christmas action movie Violent Night, in which David Harbour is a very different Santa.

Read more: Best alternative Christmas movies and TV specials

The streamers have released a bounty of original festive films already, with Netflix's headline offering being Falling for Christmas — featuring Lindsay Lohan's first major movie role for a decade.

Disney has a festive special for the Guardians of the Galaxy, while Prime has debuted several wintry romcoms, including the charming Your Christmas or Mine.

Watch: John Leguizamo talks about being a Christmas baddie