Our latest Entertainment on Demand data shows that Ad-supported streaming in the UK continued to expand in late 2025, although momentum eased compared with the rapid growth seen earlier in the year. The data also reveals that Netflix was the standout performer of the fourth quarter, driving most of the gains in ad-supported subscriptions as other platforms began to lose speed.
By December 2025, ad-supported subscriptions reached 23 million—an increase of 270,000 on the previous quarter. While positive, this growth is far behind the sharp rise of more than 1.5 million reported between Q2 and Q3. Several platforms felt the slowdown, with Prime Video and Paramount+ seeing the most pronounced deceleration.
The latest Entertainment on Demand (EoD) figures for Q4 show Prime Video once again taking the top spot for new paid subscriptions, a recurring holiday trend influenced by the appeal of free delivery benefits. Yet its share of new subscribers fell to 16.7%, down from 21.1% a year earlier. Netflix, in contrast, strengthened its position, increasing its share of new sign-ups from 11.5% in 2024 to 15.3% in late 2025.
Prime Video still leads – but Netflix is accelerating
Prime Video remained the preferred platform for new paid subscriptions in Q4, largely thanks to the broader value of the Prime membership ecosystem. Half of its users still consider delivery perks the main driver for subscribing, while only 20% cite Prime Video as the primary benefit.
Netflix, however, showed the strongest upward trajectory. The final season of Stranger Things proved pivotal, attracting nearly one in four new Netflix subscribers—its highest-ever share for a single title. The platform also continued to excel in content discovery: older drama Mr Mercedes emerged as the third most enjoyed series in the UK in December, reinforcing Netflix’s position as the go-to destination for “something new to watch”. In fact, 58% of streamers selected Netflix as their first stop for content discovery, up from 54% last year.
Apple TV+ ends the year with solid performance
Apple TV+ matched its strong Q4 performance from the previous year, securing 16% of new paid subscriptions and finishing just behind Prime Video. Slow Horses played a major role in this success, influencing 42% of new sign-ups and ranking as the second most watched show of the quarter. The platform also continued to enhance retention, maintaining single-digit churn for eight consecutive months—an increasingly strong indicator of subscriber loyalty.
Tubi gains ground in the free streaming market
Tubi, which launched in July 2024, accelerated its growth in the UK’s free streaming landscape during the final months of 2025. Audience overlap with Pluto TV rose sharply—from 6% at launch to one in four viewers. Less than 18 months after arriving in the market, Tubi now reaches more than half of UK viewers who use free streaming services, highlighting its rapid rise and growing appeal.
Key Q4 2025 UK Video-on-Demand Highlights:
- Prime Video captured 17% of all new paid sign-ups, slightly ahead of Apple TV+ (16%) and Netflix (15%).
- 43% of new paid subscriptions were ad-supported, up from 37% last year.
- British households with at least one paid streaming service reached 20.34 million, up 540,000 year on year.
- Stranger Things was the most watched title of the quarter, followed by Slow Horses and House of Guinness.
Dominic Sunnebo, Global Strategic Insights Director, Worldpanel by Numerator
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