This statistic shows the results of a survey comparing the development of traditional television and video streaming consumption in the United Kingdom (UK) in November 2018. The survey found that ** percent of respondents stated that they watched less traditional TV and streamed or downloaded more TV, series or movies compared to the previous year.

The UK video downloading and streaming services industry has undergone substantial transformation recently, driven by technological advancements and an influx of diverse content. By December 2023, the industry's top platforms boasted a staggering 100,000 hours of content, according to IBISWorld, luring subscribers with captivating titles like House of Dragon and The Rings of Power. Market concentration in the industry is exceptionally high. Netflix Inc, Amazon Digital UK Ltd, The Walt Disney Company Ltd and Sky UK Ltd dominate the scene. Collectively, they account for over 90% of revenue with their platforms Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and NOW TV. Revenue is expected to mount at a compound annual rate of 8.6% to £2.6 billion over the five years through 2024-25. Hikes in household disposable income, mobile connections and online expenditure have expanded viewers' appetite for videos accessed on-demand. Revenue surged in 2020-21 with the pandemic confining people to their homes because of lockdowns. More leisure time saw customers looking for more content on various platforms, boosting subscriptions. Revenue is forecast to climb by 5.5% in 2024-25, with the profit margin widening to 6.7%. Streaming will continue to transform, with many companies entering the crowded market. The success of ITVX, Paramount+ and Max will shape future revenue. It will ramp up competition to capture viewers' attention. It will boost UK subscriptions but impact individual platforms' ability to retain customers, facilitating substantial revenue growth. Rising technology adoption, changing viewing habits and expanding content libraries will drive industry growth. New platforms, premium content exclusivity and technological breakthroughs, like adaptive bitrate streaming, will drive growth. Over the five years through 2029-30, video downloading and streaming platforms' revenue is forecast to climb at a compound annual rate of 6.2% to £3.5 billion. The recent crackdown on password sharing by Netflix and its move to introduce ad-supported tiers reflect broader trends of platforms adapting to optimise revenue streams and enhance user experience. By 2026, Max's anticipated launch in the UK will likely shake up the industry further, as existing services, mainly Sky's NOW TV, face new competitive pressures.

This statistic shows the results of a survey on the professional sports viewing habits of Millennials in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017. The survey found that ** percent of UK Millennials admitted to having watched sports via unofficial streaming services, whereas only ** percent of Non-Millennials had done so. Millennials were also less likely to have be subscribed to a paid sports channel, at ** percent, compared to ** percent of Non-Millennials.

In the second quarter of 2025, Netflix ranked first among the most popular TV channels and video streaming services in the United Kingdom, with ** percent of respondents giving a positive rating for these platforms. Channel 4 came second, followed by ITV.

In 2024, the average time spent per individual watching broadcast television in the UK amounted to ****minutes per day. Despite an initial short spike in viewing time in 2020, likely due to the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, broadcast TV consumption declined each year since then. Older audiences tended to consume traditional TV more than their younger counterparts, with people aged 65 years and over watching TV for roughly **** hours on a daily basis, compared to less than ********among 16 to-24-year-olds. Internet-connected devices transform the TV market The television continues to be crucial to the UK’s media landscape, regardless of declining TV viewing time. The most recent data showed that the number of TV households in the region increased from **** million in 2017 to more than ** million in 2021, as smart TVs and connected TVs become the devices of choice. In 2022, the penetration rate of smart TV sets peaked in 2021 and 2022 at ** percent. Alteration of consumer habits While traditional TV consumption has declined lately, online TV services provided by broadcasters have increased in popularity. The average daily viewing time of broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) in the UK doubled between 2018 and 2022. Additionally, online audiovisual revenues grew by nearly **** billion British pounds during the same period, demonstrating the recent shift from linear TV towards online video alternatives.

A study of TV viewing habits in the United Kingdom shows that consumers in the country increasingly turn to BVOD services to watch broadcasters' content. In 2024, ** percent of BBC content was viewed via its BVOD service - BBC iPlayer. This represents a significant increase from the ** percent of content viewed this way in 2022.

This statistics displays the online TV services used weekly to watch TV programmes in the United Kingdom in 2013, broken down by age of viewer. According to YouGov, 23 percent of total UK respondents reported using YouTube weekly to watch TV programmes.

Watching TV is the most popular activity people do in their free time in England. At 91.5 percent, most English adults aged 16 or older that were surveyed between April 2017 and March 2018 said they watch TV in their free time. Other popular activities included spending time with friends and family, listening to music and eating out in restaurants.

Are younger generations watching less TV?

The same survey in 2017/18 showed a correlation between age and watching TV: 16 to 24-year-old respondents had the lowest rate of television viewing, with more of the older generation likely to spend their free time in front of the ‘box’. As technology changed, so did media consumption habits, with younger generations more likely to spend their free time online, browsing the internet and social media.

Leisure time well spent

Free time in England does not all revolve around media. Eating out, shopping and days out are still beloved activities which the leisure sector thrives on. Restaurant and café meals ranked among the highest average UK household spending on leisure activities, behind spending on package holidays abroad.