A free streaming service launched in the UK last year – and it now has a bigger library than Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
Key Points
- Tubi launched in the UK in July 2025 and reached 95,326 catalogue hours by April 2026
- That puts it ahead of Amazon Prime Video on 84,397 hours and Netflix on 50,138
- Older catalogue films across horror, sci-fi and fantasy drove the increase
- UK-originated content on AVoD services has grown from 4,478 hours in 2022 to 22,170 in 2026
- Amazon Prime Video's exclusive share of its catalogue has fallen from 77% to 56% since 2022
Fox-owned free streaming service Tubi launched in the UK in July 2025 and now holds the country’s largest video-on-demand catalogue at 95,326 hours, ahead of Amazon Prime Video on 84,397 hours.
Ofcom published the catalogue figures, sourced from Ampere Analysis, in its Media Nations UK 2026 report on Wednesday (29 July).
Netflix sits third on 50,138 hours. Below that, a second tier of services holds catalogues of roughly 20,000 to 30,000 hours, including Disney+, Discovery+, NOW, BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX.
Tubi recorded the largest increase in catalogue hours of any UK service over the period.
Ofcom attributes the growth primarily to older catalogue films across genres including horror, science fiction and fantasy. Amazon Prime Video expanded its own library through a similar route, licensing older US-originated films.
Free ad-funded services are scaling fast
Tubi and Pluto TV operate as fully ad-funded environments, often carrying large volumes of content alongside linear-style FAST channels.
Ofcom describes these services as a relatively small share of online video advertising that nonetheless expands the pool of available inventory, giving advertisers reach beyond subscription and broadcaster platforms.
Amazon Prime Video’s share of catalogue content unavailable on other UK platforms has fallen from 77% in 2022 to 56% in 2026. NOW sits lowest at 46%, down from 71%, and Paramount+ at 53%.
Ofcom notes that larger catalogue services tend to host a higher proportion of lower-value, non-exclusive content licensed across multiple platforms.
Apple TV holds the highest exclusivity at 99%, followed by BBC iPlayer at 83%, Netflix at 79% and Discovery+ at 78%.
Advertising growth
Advertising on streaming services and digital-first platforms, which Ofcom groups as TV+, rose from £1.45 billion to £1.84 billion in 2025, a 27% increase.
The regulator links the growth to demand for targeted, measurable VoD environments, the scaling of ad-supported tiers by international SVoD platforms and a widening pool of inventory across smart TVs, streaming platforms and free ad-supported television services.
UK broadcasters have responded with shared infrastructure. Sky, ITV and Channel 4 launched a joint premium video advertising marketplace intended to simplify access to on-demand inventory and improve scale for advertisers, including smaller and local buyers.
