Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Video streaming in the United Kingdom - statistics & facts
The United Kingdom belongs to the largest video streaming markets worldwide, with OTT video revenue of nearly 17 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. As linear TV has been decreasing in popularity for several years and more and more on-demand services have entered the market in the past decade,聽consumer spending on digital video in the UK has significantly grown, reaching a value of around 4.8 billion British pounds in 2024. Meanwhile, the average Brit spent roughly four and a half hours a day on audiovisual content in 2024, with live TV's share steadily shrinking.
SVOD dominance meets subscriber restlessness
Like in other developed markets, SVOD is the video type with the highest consumer spending in the UK. Data showed that roughly 20.6 million households in the country had access to SVOD services at the end of 2025, with Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video leading the pack. Netflix alone reached about 18.1 million subscribing households in early 2026, while 1.5 million people signed up for HBO Max within its first five days after its launch in March 2026. Still, churn remains a challenge: one of the top reasons for canceling an SVOD service was regular price increases of the service providers.
Ad-supported tiers gaining ground
With subscription-based services becoming increasingly expensive, ad-supported streaming content is gaining traction in the country. Average daily BVOD viewing time climbed to 25 minutes in 2024, nearly triple the figure from 2017. Furthermore, among the major platforms providing lower-priced content with ads, over half of UK Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+ users opted for an ad-supported tier as of early 2026, illustrating how cost-conscious audiences are reshaping the market.
Local and AI-powered content as a competitive edge
As a result of the ever-growing VOD market and the visible consumer preference for OTT content over linear TV, global players are placing increasing emphasis on local content to differentiate themselves. Netflix's British portfolio includes Emmy Award winner "The Crown" and critically acclaimed TV show "Sex Education." Among the main BVOD services, the majority of content hours are produced in the UK, showing that local streaming delivery is more important than ever. Looking ahead, AI-powered features could further reshape the viewing experience: about seven in 10 survey respondents in the UK and the U.S., for example,聽expressed interest in personalized trailer reels, signaling new opportunities and challenges for both established and emerging players.
