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providers making their way to the UK entertainment market and fuelling an upwards tick in consumption , the report also found that the average number of services used by UK viewers has increased from six in Q2 2023 to 6.5 in Q2 2024 . Furthermore , 61 % of viewers say they switch between more than one app in a typical viewing session , increasing from 55 % in Q2 2023 , meaning less time enjoying entertainment , and more time spent browsing for the next show or movie .
Diving deeper , the report finds a lack of personalised recommendations is also driving ‘ habit browsing ’. Nearly one-fifth of viewers ( 19 %) say they struggle to find something to watch when they don ’ t have anything specific in mind and 18 % admit to starting , stopping and selecting something else many times during a viewing session . The variety of options and content quality is also having a significant influence on consumer loyalty , as content providers battle for subscribers , with 34 % of current streaming service users saying they want to cancel an SVoD subscription within the next six months . “ As streaming options multiply , viewers are facing continued frustration when it comes to finding something to watch , showing ongoing discontent with the difficulty of finding material that suits their personal preferences ,” said Gabriel Cosgrave , general manager of EMEA at Xperi . “ TV manufacturers need to prioritise key smart TV features such as aggregated and unbiased content offerings , and user experience features like hyper-personalisation and natural voice search so that consumers find content they love quickly .” Additional findings :
• UK viewing time increases : TV viewing shows no signs of slowing . In fact , daily viewing time rose to 3.8 hours per day , increasing to 4 hours for respondents with children in their home and 4.2 hours for viewers in Scotland .
• AVoD / FAST adoption is growing steadily : 43 % of respondents use free AVoD /
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FAST services ( e . g ., Freevee ,
Pluto TV ), pointing to an
increased desire for free content
and a high ad tolerance across
multiple devices ( 56 % view on
TV , 18 % on a computer , 15 % on
a smartphone ).
• Churn and growth : 27 %
of UK consumers have started
using a new service in the
last six months , but 21 % have
cancelled a service during the
same period , highlighting the
competitive pressures facing
service providers .
• The rise of watching
social content on TV : Over
one-third of respondents watch
social video content on a TV
at least several times a week ,
an increase of almost 9 % since
spring 2023 – showing the
continued appeal of social video
content on a larger screen .
Data : Disney + stays top of new UK sub additions
Marketing data and analytics
company Kantar has released its
latest Entertainment on Demand
( EoD ) data on the UK ’ s streaming
market , uncovering the behaviours
within the VoD market between
July to September 2024 .
Off the back of a hugely
successful Emmy awards season ,
Disney + held the top spot in
terms of new subscriptions added
in the third quarter with a 21 %
share – a position it has held
now for two consecutive quarters
since displacing Apple TV + in Q2
2024 . Emmy wins for both The
Bear and Shogun , shows which
have consistently ranked in the top
10 most enjoyed titles in the UK ,
alongside Star Wars series The
Acolyte and Greys Anatomy ,
provided Disney + with a strong
slate to appeal to new subscribers .
Disney + also enjoyed significant
success with promotional activity
focused on its £ 1.99 (€ 2.38 )/ 3
months offer . Successful
partnerships with household
names such as Lloyd ’ s Bank and
Tesco also provided broader
exposure to prospective subscribers
and demonstrated that Disney +
does not simply rely on the love
of the Disney brand to build its
subscriber base . Strong third-party
endorsement from industry awards
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and household brands showcases the quality of its shows and services to a wider audience , significantly contributing to its success in drawing in new subscribers in the UK .
The new seasons of Emily in Paris , Bridgerton and The Umbrella Academy helped Netflix continue engaging its existing customer base , with subscriber satisfaction consistently rising . However , it wasn ’ t enough to move the dial regarding absolute subscriber growth , which remains essentially flat vs the previous quarter . Churn at Netflix is , however , close to an all-time low , and with almost 60 % of new subscribers choosing its ad tier , Netflix is well positioned to grow its bottom line in quarters ahead , believes Kantar .
The latest instalment of House of the Dragon helped NOW maintain its share of new paid subscriptions in the quarter , keeping a lid on churn . One in three new NOW subscribers joined to watch House of the Dragon , highlighting the huge power the HBO series wields .
Prime Video held its share of new subscribers in the third quarter , but it was The Boys which was both the show attracting the most new sign-ups and doing the best job of engaging existing viewers . The Boys was the most enjoyed show across the whole of the UK , with Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power in 12th position .
On July 2nd , Tubi officially launched its FAST service in the UK , competing alongside similar services such as Freevee , Pluto TV and Samsung TV +. Whilst there was no noticeable impact on paid-for streaming services such as Netflix or Disney +, early data from the launch suggests a heavy overlap between customers with existing services playing in this space – in particular , Pluto TV and Freevee . Both services saw a reduction in the number of active viewers since Tubi ’ s launch , indicating an intense battle for screentime . Nearly half ( 48 %) of Tubi viewers also use Pluto TV , whilst the crossover with Freevee is 35 % – although Tubi remains a small player at this stage , any
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significant growth is likely to
directly impact its most immediate
competitors .
“ The launch of Tubi
demonstrates the strength of paid
video subscription services in the
UK , having little impact on their
subscription numbers ,” notes
Dominic Sunnebo , global insights
director at Kantar ’ s Worldpanel
division . “ The big SVoD / AVoD
streaming services are competing
on production quality with leading
shows keeping viewer engagement
strong . However , Disney + proves
that the power of promotion can
still make waves in the highly
competitive UK streaming market .
Industry accolades have further
boosted the profile of its shows
and subscription deals with British
household brands are drawing
new subscribers to the streaming
service at a time when the market
is beginning to show signs of new
growth .”
Full-fibre broadband nears 7 in 10 UK homes
A record 20.7m UK homes can
now access full-fibre broadband ,
according to regulator Ofcom ’ s
annual report on the nation ’ s
broadband and mobile networks .
Ofcom ’ s Connected Nations
report finds that 69 % ( 20.7m )
of UK homes now have access
to full-fibre broadband , up from
57 % ( 17.1m ) in September 2023 .
Northern Ireland leads the way
with 93 % of homes able to access
full fibre .
Taking full-fibre and cable
networks together , 25m homes
( 83 %) the UK now has access
to a gigabit-capable broadband
connection . This suggests the
Government ’ s target of 85 %
coverage by 2025 is likely to be
reached .
The number of households
signed up to full-fibre broadband
services where available has
risen from 28 % to 35 % ( 7.5m
households ) between May 2023
and July 2024 .
Take up of full fibre is notably
higher in rural areas than in urban
areas . Over half ( 52 %) of homes in
rural areas with full-fibre access
are signed up , compared with just
under a third ( 32 %) in towns and
cities .
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EUROMEDIA 17 |