Netflix UK subs rate slows as Now TV gains – BARB

Netflix added new subscribers at a slower rate than SVOD rivals Amazon Prime Video and Now TV in the UK in 2017, but remains the dominant local payer, according to BARB research.

Overall, 9.5 million households in the UK have at least one SVOD subscription, with Netflix taking 7.5 million of them. This equals a 24% overall growth figure.

However, the 22% growth rate (1.4 million subs) it saw was far slower than the 51% Amazon and 70% Sky’s Now TV experienced.

Amazon has just fewer than three million local subs, with Now TV taking 1.4 million.

BARB, the UK ratings analysis company, projects that including households that have more than one SVOD subscription, there are around twelve million subs in Britain overall.

Other stats revealed in The SVOD Report: Charting the Growth in SVOD Services Across the UK show that 31% of Netflix users also have Amazon. Conversely, 60% of Amazon users have Netflix.

BARB noted there was a “symbiotic” relationship between SVOD services and pay TV providers in the UK, with “many” households choosing to subscribe to both.

This was most pronounced among Virgin Media customers, 40% of whom also subscribe to Netflix.

Elsewhere, the study found that nearly 50% of children in the UK have access to at least one SVOD service, with the number rising to 60% for those aged between 16-24.

“In conclusion, we can see that access to SVOD services is highly prevalent in audiences under 55, where these services exist and co-habit alongside broadcast platforms,” noted BARB. “Far from being niche, SVOD services are now an established part of the television ecosystem.”

BARB produced its stats through the latest Establishment Survey data from Q3 2017.