TV streaming statistics in the UK

Streaming services have changed the way we watch TV. No longer do you need to wait a week for the next episode of your favourite show. Whether you stream with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, NOW TV or another service, more than 16 million households in the UK now have at least 1 streaming subscription.

Quick overview

• 9 out of 10 Brits have used a streaming platform in the past 12 months.
• 58% of all households in the UK are subscribed to at least 1 online streaming service. This is up 5% from 2020.
• Netflix is the most popular streaming service in the UK, with over 62% of Brits having used its services.
• Almost half of Brits (48%) have used Amazon Prime, making it the country’s second most popular streaming service.
• Having only launched in late 2019, 1 in 3 (33%) Brits have used Disney Plus in the past year.
• More women (96%) use streaming services compared to men (83%) in the UK.
• Over 2.25 million Brits (4.3%) have used an illegal streaming service to watch a film or TV show.
• 1.25 million (2.4%) in the UK have watched English Premier League football illegally in the past year.

What is the most popular streaming platform in the UK?

Our survey found that Netflix remains the most popular TV streaming platform, with 62% of the UK having used it in the past 12 months. Since 2019, there has been a 15% increase of Netflix users. Amazon Prime is next and while having seen a 20% increase since 2019, is still a fair way behind Netflix. Almost 1 in 2 (48%) of the UK have streamed with Amazon Prime.

It is followed by Disney Plus. While this service only launched at the end of 2019, already 1 in 3 people in the UK (33%) have used it in the past 12 months. These 3 are followed by Sky Go (17%) and NOW TV (13%), but both have seen usage decline dramatically by 28% and 35% since 2019, respectively.

• Graph
• Table

Gender split of most popular streaming services

Women (96%) use TV streaming services more than men (83%) our survey found. These differences show over three-quarters of women have used Netflix in the past 12 months compared to less than half of men (48%). More women (56%) used Amazon Prime than men (39%), Disney Plus (45% to 19%), Apple TV (9% to 6%) and NOW TV (15% to 10%).

Platforms where men are bigger users than women include Sky Go (17.3% to 16.5%), BT TV (8% to 6%), Rakuten TV (3.10% to 2.90%) and Britbox (7% to 5%).

• Graph
• Table

Generational differences: Which streaming platform is the most popular for the age groups?

It may come as no surprise that Netflix is the most popular platform with all generations. With millenials (73%) the highest users of this service, followed by generation X (67%), generation Z (66%), baby boomers (52%) and the silent generation with 31%.

The youngest generation, gen Z, are the highest consumers of streaming platforms in general, with 99% of this generation having used a streaming service in the past year. With 96% of millenials having used a streaming platform, followed by 92% of gen X. Over 4 in 5 baby boomers (82%) follow, with an interesting less than two-thirds of the silent generation (63%) having used a streaming platform in the past year,

• Graph
• Table

Using Illegal streaming platforms in the UK

Our survey found that Brits do also use illegal streaming services. With many streaming services offering different content, it can be add up to a considerable amount for users to watch all of their entertainment.

Movies and TV shows also saw plenty of people watching them through illicit means. 2.25 million people (4.3%) opted not to go to the cinema, pay for a movie at home or for a streaming service last year.

Almost 1 in 20 (4.3%), which equates to 2.25 million people, have watched a movie or TV show using an illegal streaming service in the past year.

Just under 4% (2 million people) have used an illegal service to stream sport at least once in the past year. Of these people, 1.25 million Brits (2%) have streamed a Premier League match illegally in the past 12 months.

• Graph
• Table

• Previous research: TV streaming statistics 2020

  Quick overview

  • 53% of all households in the UK are subscribed to at least 1 online streaming service. This is up 5.2% from Q4 2019 and equivalent to 1,500,000 homes.
  • 6.7 million (24%) homes subscribed to 2 or more services.
  • In Q1 2020, Netflix is the UK’s most popular streaming service reporting more than 13 million subscriptions in the UK, while Amazon Prime has 7.9 million and NOW has 1.6 million.
  • The global revenue of online streaming services is £40.1 billion, of which £1.5 billion comes from the UK. The services are making approximately £45.44 per user every year.

  12.6%

  more homes have at least 1 streaming subscription in Q1 2020 compared to Q1 2019.

  The UK’s most popular streaming services

  Our graph illustrates which of the streaming services the British public used in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The services are ranked based on new subscribers each year.

  Netflix is steadily climbing the ladder and getting more and more of our attention every year. From being used by 54% of streamers, it’s now up to 75%, making it the most popular service in the UK. Second is BBC Player, which actually lost 1 point in 2019 compared to 2018.

  YouTube is a strong contender with its paid-for service YouTube Premium, offering the same videos but without advertisements, has joined the contest in 2019. 2% of those who use subscription services now use the channel’s Premium selection.

  The biggest losers in 2019 compared to 2018 are Google Play and iTunes, which started low but lost 33.33% and 40% of their viewers, respectively.

  • Streaming services
  • Table

  Streaming service	2017	2018	2019
  Netflix	54%	70%	75%
  BBC iPlayer	66%	61%	60%
  Amazon Prime Video	33%	44%	50%
  YouTube	49%	43%	39%
  ITV Player	36%	29%	29%
  All 4	30%	28%	29%
  Now TV	12%	15%	16%
  SkyGo	18%	13%	14%
  Google Play	8%	6%	6%
  Sky Store Player	13%	6%	4%
  iTunes	8%	5%	3%
  YouTube Premium			2%
  Talk Talk TV	2%	2%	2%
  Other	12%	5%	5%

  The number of people watching in the UK

  Netflix is by far the most popular streaming service in the UK, with more than 13 million subscribers. Amazon Prime Video is not far behind after experiencing a bigger growth over the last 2 years, decreasing the difference between the 2 services. Amazon has had an average increase of subscribers of 28% per year, compared to Netflix’s 20% increase.

  NOW hasn’t been as lucky. Any new subscribers during 2019 both came and left, leaving the service steady on 1.62 million subscribers. Of 2020’s newcomers, Disney Plus started off strongly with its launch getting 4.3 million subscribers in the UK as of June 2020.

  6.7 million (24%) households are signed up to 2 services or more. The most common duo-subscription is Netflix and Amazon Prime, with 32% of people having both. 6.1% have Netflix, Amazon Prime and NOW.

  Streaming service	2018	2019	2020	Average increase per year
  Netflix	9.11 million	11.47 million	13.01 million	19.67%
  Amazon	4.83 million	5.96 million	7.86 million	27.64%
  Now TV	1.46 million	1.62 million	1.62 million	5.48%
  Disney +			4.6 million

  Streaming during the coronavirus pandemic

  As the COVID-19 lockdown hadn’t started in the UK until Q2, we will keep you updated on how the pandemic affected the subscription services’ numbers. But from what we can see already at the company’s own estimations, Netflix is comforting many people during lockdown with over 167 million subscribers worldwide. Between January and March 2020, the service anticipated an increase in subscribers of 16.9%, giving it 174.1 million paid subscriptions.

  There have been few winners during the pandemic, but Disney is definitely one of them. Upon launching on 24 March 2020 in the UK, the Disney Plus subscription service had over 5 million downloads for its app and had 4.6 million subscribers as of June 2020.

  Devices used for streaming

  The device that is used the most for streaming is the TV, with 42% of people saying they use this method to stream. The second most popular screen is the computer, with 39% using this. With an average of 34% positive responses, mobile phones and tablets are also popular options.

  • Devices
  • Table

  Device	Respondents
  TV	42%
  Computer	39%
  Mobile	35%
  Tablet	32%
  Connected TV box	28%
  Video game console	17%

  The growth of the UK’s biggest streaming service

  With 13.01 million subscribers in the UK, Netflix is the UK’s biggest streaming service in subscriptions. The financial side is not looking bad either.

  The graph below shows Netflix’s exponential growth in revenue over an 18-year period, which demonstrates its ongoing spike in popularity.

  In 2019, revenue has increased by larger and larger increments, with revenue being its highest ever at almost £15.72 billion. Over the last 3 years on the graph, revenue increased at an average of 25% each year. This year, the company is making £17.64 billion in revenue as of June 2020, so the number is expected to rise before the end of the first year of the decade.

  • Netflix growth 2002-2020
  • Table

  Year	Annual revenue in billion
  2002	£0.12
  2003	£0.21
  2004	£0.39
  2005	£0.53
  2006	£0.78
  2007	£0.94
  2008	£1.07
  2009	£1.30
  2010	£1.68
  2011	£2.50
  2012	£2.82
  2013	£3.41
  2014	£4.29
  2015	£5.29
  2016	£6.89
  2017	£9.13
  2018	£12.32
  2019	£15.72
  2020	£17.64

  Streaming wars

  When choosing which streaming service to sign up to, it can be hard knowing which one to pick. It might not just be about the numbers of titles, but it can be an indicator.

  Making this important choice in the UK, Amazon Prime actually has the widest selection of titles to watch, with close to 20,000 titles, although not all are included in the subscription. Netflix offers 5,500 titles and there are almost 900 films and series available on Disney Plus. Depending on if you want to watch a good nostalgic marathon or the show everyone seems to be talking about, the subscription service you choose will be crucial.

  • Netflix growth 2002-2020
  • Table

  Service	Shows	Films	Total
  Netflix	1,718	3,802	5,520
  Amazon Prime Video	1,885	18,032	19,917
  Now TV	584	1,245	1,829
  Disney+	136	736	872

  For another point of view, subscription services are also in the running for different movie awards. Between 2015 and 2019, Netflix got 30 nominations for the Academy Award for original content. It ended up winning 20% of those nominations, taking home 6 awards.

  During the same timespan, Amazon had 11 nominations and 3 wins, winning the award 27% of the time.

  Sources

  Office for National Statistics
  AudienceProject
  Netflix
  Much needed

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:

Matt Mckenna
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806

Related articles

Methodology for TV streaming ratings

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"What is the most popular streaming platform in the UK?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-most-popular-streaming-platform-in-the-uk"},{"label":"Gender split of most popular streaming services","anchorName":"#gender-split-of-most-popular-streaming-services"},{"label":"Generational differences: Which streaming platform is the most popular for the age groups?","anchorName":"#generational-differences-which-streaming-platform-is-the-most-popular-for-the-age-groups"},{"label":"Using Illegal streaming platforms in the UK","anchorName":"#using-illegal-streaming-platforms-in-the-uk"}]}

You’ll find customer satisfaction star ratings on some of our TV streaming provider reviews. Here’s how we came up with them.

Read more…

BritBox streaming review 2023: Price, features, content

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"What is the most popular streaming platform in the UK?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-most-popular-streaming-platform-in-the-uk"},{"label":"Gender split of most popular streaming services","anchorName":"#gender-split-of-most-popular-streaming-services"},{"label":"Generational differences: Which streaming platform is the most popular for the age groups?","anchorName":"#generational-differences-which-streaming-platform-is-the-most-popular-for-the-age-groups"},{"label":"Using Illegal streaming platforms in the UK","anchorName":"#using-illegal-streaming-platforms-in-the-uk"}]}

You don’t need a contract to stream content with BritBox, a diving expedition for hidden British gems, for £5.99 a month.

Read more…

Lockdown and chill: How streaming won 2020

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"What is the most popular streaming platform in the UK?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-most-popular-streaming-platform-in-the-uk"},{"label":"Gender split of most popular streaming services","anchorName":"#gender-split-of-most-popular-streaming-services"},{"label":"Generational differences: Which streaming platform is the most popular for the age groups?","anchorName":"#generational-differences-which-streaming-platform-is-the-most-popular-for-the-age-groups"},{"label":"Using Illegal streaming platforms in the UK","anchorName":"#using-illegal-streaming-platforms-in-the-uk"}]}

Download our free paper for original research and data-driven analysis, as well as expert commentary and predictions for the future of the streaming industry.

Read more…

Netflix TV shows available in the UK

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"What is the most popular streaming platform in the UK?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-most-popular-streaming-platform-in-the-uk"},{"label":"Gender split of most popular streaming services","anchorName":"#gender-split-of-most-popular-streaming-services"},{"label":"Generational differences: Which streaming platform is the most popular for the age groups?","anchorName":"#generational-differences-which-streaming-platform-is-the-most-popular-for-the-age-groups"},{"label":"Using Illegal streaming platforms in the UK","anchorName":"#using-illegal-streaming-platforms-in-the-uk"}]}

Search our live table for an exhaustive list of Netflix UK shows you can watch right now.

Read more…

Cheapest way to watch Eurosport in the UK

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"What is the most popular streaming platform in the UK?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-most-popular-streaming-platform-in-the-uk"},{"label":"Gender split of most popular streaming services","anchorName":"#gender-split-of-most-popular-streaming-services"},{"label":"Generational differences: Which streaming platform is the most popular for the age groups?","anchorName":"#generational-differences-which-streaming-platform-is-the-most-popular-for-the-age-groups"},{"label":"Using Illegal streaming platforms in the UK","anchorName":"#using-illegal-streaming-platforms-in-the-uk"}]}

Find out how to watch Eurosport without breaking the bank.

Read more…

Netflix international: Which movies and TV shows can I watch and where?

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"What is the most popular streaming platform in the UK?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-most-popular-streaming-platform-in-the-uk"},{"label":"Gender split of most popular streaming services","anchorName":"#gender-split-of-most-popular-streaming-services"},{"label":"Generational differences: Which streaming platform is the most popular for the age groups?","anchorName":"#generational-differences-which-streaming-platform-is-the-most-popular-for-the-age-groups"},{"label":"Using Illegal streaming platforms in the UK","anchorName":"#using-illegal-streaming-platforms-in-the-uk"}]}

Find out how many TV shows and movies are available on Netflix wherever you go with finder.com’s interactive graphic.

Read more…