The number of UK households subscribing to at least one streaming service has declined by two per cent as consumers face ongoing economic pressures.

A study by broadcasting regulator Ofcom found that the take-up of subscription video-on-demand services from streaming companies including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, have stalled due to competition and consumers tightening their belts during the cost-of-living crisis.

The watchdog added that price rises introduced by the platforms had also contributed to stalling sign-ups, with about 19 million – or around 66 per cent – of UK households now subscribed to at least one streaming service in the UK.

Ofcom also identified a decline in the number of traditional TV programmes attracting mass audiences, with number of shows viewed by more than four million TV viewers halving over the past eight years.

However, it found that there were "moments of national interest" like England's quarter-final against France in the FIFA World Cup, where there were much higher numbers. The match drew in on average 16.1 million views, said the regulator.

Ofcom revealed that more than a third of online adults watch short-form video – videos shorter than ten minutes – on a daily basis, with younger audiences more likely to do so.

Of all the short-form video platform websites, YouTube is the most popular in the UK.
Among adults who watched short-form content at least once a month, the most popular genre was ‘how-to’ videos – 64 per cent – followed by news – 63 per cent – and videos uploaded by the general public – 59 per cent.

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