Why Brits are turning off Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video
The latest research from Ofcom shows slowing growth for streaming services in the UK, with an increasing number of Brits choosing to downgrade their subscription or cancel entirely.
Ofcom’s recently published report on the nation’s media habits shows that the proportion of UK households subscribed to any streaming service was 68%, the same as it was in 2021.
Two-thirds of UK households are subscribed to at lease one of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney+, with Netflix remaining by far the most popular service in the UK.
Present in almost 60% of UK households and accounting for nearly half of all viewing of streaming services in 2024, Netflix averaged 22 minutes of watch-time per individual per day.
By comparison, Prime Video and Disney+ had 7 minutes and 9 minutes of average individual daily watchtime, respectively.
Subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ have enjoyed stable adoption in the UK for some time, but Brits seem more prepared to either cancel or unsubscribe as prices rise and content becomes siloed.
Too expensive, and too many platforms
The latest data shows an increasing number of UK subscribers downgrading or cancelling their subscriptions.
The proportion of households who reported subscribing to the add tier of streaming services more than doubled in the last year, rising to 49% compared with the 2024 figure of 22%.
Additionally the proportion of those with the premium tier fell from 16% to 11% in the last year.
The top reasons cited by those unsubscribing from Prime Video were that it was too expensive and they didn’t use it enough. Likewise, the most common reason Brits unsubscribed from Disney+ was because they felt it was too expensive.
Ofcom noted that 14% of households downgraded their household Netflix subscription in the last year, marking the first time since 2022 that more people downgraded then upgraded their Netflix subscription in the UK.
British viewers remain largely satisfied with the content and experience available on streaming services, but they are growing increasingly concerned over content being spread across many different platforms, each requiring its own subscription.
43% of viewers surveyed believe that there are too many video-on-demand services available, with 38% agreeing that they found the amount of content available on the services overwhelming.
Most said they would miss these services if they were no longer available, but 23% agreed that they spend too much money subscribing to streaming services.
“Audiences’ reluctance to give up these services, despite the cost, may explain the plateauing of subscriptions to SVoD services, reported earlier,” Ofcom said.
YouTube is taking over
Ofcom’s research indicated another important trend in the British consumer media landscape – the growing number of UK viewers who rely on YouTube for their video content.
According to the data, people in the UK spend an average of 39 minutes on YouTube per day, making it the second most-watched service behind the BBC.
This trend is being driven by younger adults and children, many of whom open YouTube as the default choice for video content when turning on their TV.
Older viewers are also increasingly watching more content on YouTube every day, and half of the platform’s top-trending videos now more closely resemble traditional TV.
YouTube is therefore becoming more of a direct competitor to ad-supported TV services, Ofcom noted, and some broadcasters are making full-length programming available on their YouTube channels.
The regular argues that this type of partnership, specifically making public service content available on YouTube, is critical to the survival of public service media like the BBC.
