Latest data shows Apple TV+ and Prime Video were most successful at attracting new customers during the first few months of the year.
- Cheaper, ad-supported subscription tiers continue to gain popularity.
- 65% of new Netflix customers in the UK chose ad-supported tier
- Growth in homes with access to a subscription streaming service.
Market research company Kantar has revealed an increase in the number of British homes who subscribe to at least one video on demand streaming service, with ad-supported tiers seeing the biggest increases.
According to its latest Entertainment on Demand data, 33% of new paid subscribers choose ad-supported tiers, up from 31% in Q4 2024. This rose to 56% among new subscribers to Disney+ and 83% to Prime Video.
Overall, during the first three months of 2025, Prime Video had the highest share of new paying subscribers (17%), with Apple TV+ (16%) in second place. Apple TV+ saw the highest growth among major paid platforms, increasing its subscriber base by 5% compared with Q4 2024.
The research found 8 million homes subscribed to at least one subscription video streaming service, up 142,000 on the last three months of 2024*. Prime Video avoided its usual post-Christmas slump in subscribers, when households are more inclined to review spending.
What did people watch?
Kantar says Reacher (Prime Video) was the most watched title on subscription streaming video services, followed by Toxic Town (Netflix) and 1923 (Paramount Plus). Adolescence, which has been at the centre of much media attention, was the tenth most-watched title in March. Its numbers were limited by its mid-month release ahead of the cut-off date for this research.
*Research from Barb’s establishment survey has previously indicated that when you include homes with more than one subscription video streaming service, you reach a figure of just over two thirds of homes. Kantar’s Entertainment on Demand and Barb’s Establishment Survey use different ways to gauge data and report figures in different ways. This means a full comparison isn’t possible, although both surveys identify the same or similar trends in viewing (e.g. the move to ad-supported tiers).
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Apple