Netflix continues to dominate the UK streaming landscape, with 17.1 million households subscribing to the service in the fourth quarter of 2024. This marks a significant increase from 16.7 million subscribers in the same period of the previous year, demonstrating the platform's enduring popularity despite fierce competition in the video-on-demand landscape. Netflix's competitors While Netflix remains the leading subscription video-on-demand service in the UK in terms of customer numbers, Amazon Prime Video boasts the largest content library among major SVOD platforms, with over 42.6 thousand hours of content available as of May 2024. However, when it comes to market share based on user interest, Netflix still holds the top spot, edging out providers such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV+. Demographic preferences Interestingly, streaming preferences vary across age groups. Among viewers aged 65 and above, Amazon Prime Video is the preferred choice in the UK for 36 percent, while Netflix captures one-third of this demographic. This contrasts with the overall market dominance of Netflix, suggesting that older audiences may have different content preferences. The generational divide in streaming habits is further illustrated by data from Flanders in Belgium, where millennials show a slightly higher Netflix usage rate compared to Gen Z, both significantly outpacing older age groups.

The United Kingdom (UK) has the highest number of Netflix subscribers in Europe, with around 13 million subscribers as of the second quarter of 2010. The country with the second highest number was Germany with around 10.7 million, closely followed by France with 8.4 million.

Netflix catalogues across Europe

Not only does the UK have the highest number of Netflix subscribers in Europe, it’s also the country with the highest number of TV series on the SVoD (Subscription Video-on-Demand) platform. As of September 2019, there were 542 series available in the UK but just 350 in Germany.  

SVoD market share

 At 39 percent, Netflix had the largest share of the SVoD market in Europe in 2020. Their closest competitor was Amazon Prime Video, which had over a quarter of the market share in Europe that year. The fourth largest and one of the newest services, Disney+, reached a market share of seven percent. In the European Union, its revenue amounted to nearly 365 million euros as of 2020.

Netflix's video on-demand streaming service has been attracting mostly adults aged between 25 and 34 years old, with respective shares of 35 and 42 percent during the first quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018. This was followed by the 35 to 44 and the 18 to 24 years old age groups.

Time spent on Netflix in the United Kingdom (UK)

In a survey conducted in 2018, over half of the respondents aged between 15 and 34 years old stated watching Netflix weekly. That same year, British consumers were estimated to have spent 134 minutes per day on average watching Netflix.

  Increase in Netflix usage

The number of households in the UK subscribing to Netflix has been rising steadily from 2014 to 2019, reaching 12.4 million subscribers as of the fourth quarter of 2019. Netflix revenues experienced a subsequent increase during this period and were estimated to grow further to over one billion U.S. dollars by 2020.

According to a survey in 2021, broadcast TV was still popular compared to Netflix, with only the heaviest six percent of Netflix users watching more Netflix than broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) platforms. People who did not watch Netflix at all were the most likely to consume TV on a TV set, but even the heaviest users of Netflix incorporated 19 percent of TV on a TV set viewing in their daily viewing.

This statistic shows the estimated streaming revenues of Netflix in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2020. According to the estimate, streaming revenues earned by Netflix in the UK will amount to approximately 945.64 million U.S. dollars in 2019.

Netflix reported approximately 90 million subscribers across the U.S. and Canada in the fourth quarter of 2024, making North America its second-largest global market after Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Netflix reports its first subscriber loss in decades After a decline in the number of paid Netflix subscribers worldwide during the first two quarters of 2022, the streaming giant seems to be back on track, adding over 30 million net subscribers in only one year. The United States and Canada experienced the most substantial combined subscriber loss, which is particularly noteworthy considering that Netflix generates the highest average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) in these countries. When asked about the main reasons for canceling their subscription, many former Netflix users listed the price as their main incentive for leaving. The service’s average monthly fee has increased significantly over the past few years, leading audiences to switch to more affordable (ad-supported) video streaming options or cut down on subscriptions altogether. Expanding global influence and content catalogs Netflix remains the leading subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service worldwide, outperforming all other international streaming powerhouses and local providers by a significant margin. To maintain its global lead, Netflix allocates impressive sums toward marketing while also expanding its regional content. In 2021, for example, the Seattle-based company opened its first office in Stockholm to serve as a hub for the Nordics region. In addition to that, Netflix also produces more original content outside the U.S. to appeal to its diverse international user base.

Among the leading video-on-demand providers, Amazon Prime has the highest number of titles on offer in the United Kingdom (UK) as of December 2024. In total, it offered over 20,000 titles, compared to Netflix’s 8,086. However, Netflix is the service with the most TV shows on offer, while movies is where Amazon Prime stands out with over 17,400 titles compared to Netflix’s 5,214 films. Netflix dominates the video-on-demand market Despite Amazon Prime’s large media library, Netflix has remained the better performing video-on-demand service in the United Kingdom. As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the platform had around 17.1 million subscribers, while Amazon Prime had 13.3 million. Having emerged in 1997 as the world’s first entertainment streaming service, Netflix has managed to stay ahead of its competitors. Today, its strength lies in its original series content, many of which have gathered worldwide acclaim. Indeed, the platform regularly dominates the ranking of popular streaming shows in the UK. Pricing and quality strategies Despite the vast content libraries, streaming services face significant challenges, and content alone may not guarantee retention. A 2024 survey revealed that rising prices was the primary reason for over 15 percent of UK consumers to cancel streaming subscriptions. In fact, as competition intensifies, providers are adjusting their strategies, with plans to not only reduce content spending but also to grow their subscription fees. As the market matures, streaming platforms are likely to focus more on targeted, high-quality content rather than sheer amount to maintain their competitive edge and subscriber base.

This statistic shows the penetration of Netflix subscriptions in the United Kingdom (UK) in early 2015 and early 2016, broken down by platform. As of the most recent study wave, the share of Netflix usage was the highest in Virgin homes (39 percent; 5 percent increase since the beginning of 2015). Other platforms with high Netflix usage were Sky (33 percent; 5 percent growth), and Youview, BT and Talk Talk (33 percent; 3 percent growth).

Netflix's global subscriber base has reached an impressive milestone, surpassing 300 million paid subscribers worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2024. This marks a significant increase of nearly 20 million subscribers compared to the previous quarter, solidifying Netflix's position as a dominant force in the streaming industry. Adapting to customer losses Netflix's growth has not always been consistent. During the first half of 2022, the streaming giant lost over one million customers. In response to these losses, Netflix introduced an ad-supported tier in November of that same year. This strategic move has paid off, with the lower-cost plan attracting 70 million monthly active users globally by November 2024, demonstrating Netflix's ability to adapt to changing market conditions and consumer preferences. Global expansion Netflix continues to focus on international markets, with a forecast suggesting that the Asia Pacific region is expected to see the most substantial growth in the upcoming years, potentially reaching around 70.1 million subscribers by 2029. To correspond to the needs of the non-American target group, the company has heavily invested in international content in recent years, with Korean, Spanish, and Japanese being the most watched non-English content languages on the platform.

In the United Kingdom, TV screens were the most used devices for watching Netflix TV shows during September 2023. Nearly 23.5 million unique viewers watched on these devices, up from 22.7 million users recorded in the previous month. Mobile devices came in second position, with around 13.6 million unique users.

If you have ever tried using your Netflix account abroad, you may have noticed that the range of available series is not always the same. The number of series available on the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service varies from country to country. As of September 2019, the United Kingdom had the largest catalogue of available series in Europe.

The rise of Netflix

There were 542 TV series available on Netflix in the UK. In Ireland, there were 537. Switzerland had the third biggest catalogue, but here there was already a considerable gap, with over 100 series fewer than were available in the UK and Ireland. In the Ukraine there were just 206 series available on Netflix. The number of Netflix subscribers in Europe has risen considerably over the last few years and is expected to continue growing. In 2018, there were 37 million subscribers, and in 2023 there are expected to be around 57 million.

Which Netflix series are most popular in Europe?

The most popular digital original television show based on audience demand in 2019 in the UK and in the Netherlands was The Umbrella Academy. In Germany, the most popular in 2018 was Star Trek: Discovery.

The U.S. is the largest market for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, based on viewer numbers forecast for 2024. The country is estimated to have over 173 million Netflix and around 164 million Prime viewers. While Netflix is more popular than Amazon in the U.S., the UK, France, Canada, and Australia, Prime Video is more common in India, Germany, and Japan.

This statistic shows the age profile of Netflix users in the United Kingdom (UK) in early 2015 and 2016. During the period of consideration, the popularity of Netflix grew across all age groups, but, overall, it was more popular among younger groups. As of the most recent survey wave, 58 percent of respondents aged between 16-24 years reported using Netflix (14 percent increase compared to early 2015).

This statistic presents a ranking of the leading pay TV and subscription video on demand (SVoD) services by number of subscribers in the United Kingdom (UK) as of October 2018. SVoD service Netflix had the highest number of subscribers, at 9.7 million and ranked just before pay TV operator Sky, at 9.6 million subscribers.

How high is the brand awareness of Netflix in the UK?When it comes to video-on-demand users, brand awareness of Netflix is at 97% in the UK. The survey was conducted using the concept of aided brand recognition, showing respondents both the brand's logo and the written brand name.How popular is Netflix in the UK?In total, 76% of UK video-on-demand users say they like Netflix. However, in actuality, among the 97% of UK respondents who know Netflix, 78% of people like the brand.What is the usage share of Netflix in the UK?All in all, 73% of video-on-demand users in the UK use Netflix. That means, of the 97% who know the brand, 75% use them.How loyal are the users of Netflix?Around 68% of video-on-demand users in the UK say they are likely to use Netflix again. Set in relation to the 73% usage share of the brand, this means that 93% of their users show loyalty to the brand.What's the buzz around Netflix in the UK?In May 2022, about 42% of UK video-on-demand users had heard about Netflix in the media, on social media, or in advertising over the past four weeks. Of the 97% who know the brand, that's 43%, meaning at the time of the survey there's some buzz around Netflix in the UK.If you want to compare brands, do deep-dives by survey items of your choice, filter by total online population or users of a certain brand, or drill down on your very own hand-tailored target groups, our Consumer Insights Brand KPI survey has you covered.

In the third quarter of 2024, Netflix was the most popular subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in the United Kingdom, capturing a market share of 27 percent based on users' interest in adding content to their watch lists. Amazon Prime Video followed closely with a market share of 26 percent, while Disney+ ranked third with a market share of 21 percent.

It was found that adults in the United Kingdom engage with social media equally as much as with video streaming platforms. For example as of May 2023, UK TikTok users spent 58 minutes per day with the social network while Netflix users in the country also spent the same amount of time using the video streaming service daily. Video viewing - ad-supported options are driving consumption Since 2021, the reach of video-on-demand subscriptions in the United Kingdom has been oscillating around 19 million households. The viewership boom that started during the coronavirus outbreak has now transitioned into steady audience numbers. Video streaming in the UK remains strong, however, the market is pivoting from premium models to free ad-supported ones such as broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD). The data shows that the viewership of BVOD services surpassed the SVOD viewer-base. Among many BVOD platforms, BBC iPlayer is by far the most popular ad-supported service in the UK, followed by ITV and All 4, showing the prevalence of local players. However, international services, such as Pluto TV, are slowly entering the market as well. In fact, while Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are losing viewer interest, Pluto TV is one of the platforms that experienced an increase in total content viewing hours between 2022 and 2023, indicating its growth potential.

This statistic shows the screens used by Netflix users to watch subscription streaming services in the United Kingdom (UK) in early 2016. During the survey, 15 percent of respondents reported watching Netflix on their TV every day, and 58 percent watched it at least once a week. Only 17 percent of respondents stated that that they watched Netflix at their desktop computer at least once a week, while the same rate for laptops constituted 33 percent.

Industry data revealed that Slovakia had the most extensive Netflix media library worldwide as of July 2024, with over 8,500 titles available on the platform. Interestingly, the top 10 ranking was spearheaded by European countries. Where do you get the most bang for your Netflix buck? In February 2024, Liechtenstein and Switzerland were the countries with the most expensive Netflix subscription rates. Viewers had to pay around 21.19 U.S. dollars per month for a standard subscription. Subscribers in these countries could choose from between around 6,500 and 6,900 titles. On the other end of the spectrum, Pakistan, Egypt, and Nigeria are some of the countries with the cheapest Netflix subscription costs at around 2.90 to 4.65 U.S. dollars per month. Popular content on Netflix While viewing preferences can differ across countries and regions, some titles have proven particularly popular with international audiences. As of mid-2024, "Red Notice" and "Don't Look Up" were the most popular English-language movies on Netflix, with over 230 million views in its first 91 days available on the platform. Meanwhile, "Troll" ranks first among the top non-English language Netflix movies of all time. The monster film has amassed 103 million views on Netflix, making it the most successful Norwegian-language film on the platform to date.

As of July 2024, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services Amazon Prime Video and Netflix held the highest share of total content viewing hours in the UK by a large margin, at over 42,000 content hours each. Other competing SVOD services, such as Disney+ and Channel 4 counted less than 20 thousand content viewing hours. Rakuten TV and Apple TV+ recorded some of the lowest viewing time in the UK between all streaming services examined in the study.