Q2 2020 UK Video Consumer Deep Dive

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The 20,000 Foot View: UK video engagement in 2020 remains primarily a two-horse race between subscription-based Netflix and ad-supported YouTube, which returned to dominance with weekly average user penetration – three percentage points higher than Netflix. Against this trend new streaming entrant Disney+ has achieved weekly average user penetration, underlying the rising competition between the subscription-based and ad-supported video streaming alternatives as the UK streaming market matures.
Key insights
- YouTube and Netflix have been the biggest long-time gainers in UK video consumption since 2017, with YouTube overtaking Netflix in 2020
- YouTube weekly average use was in 2020, making it the most popular UK video service
- YouTube weekly average user penetration declines with age: of year olds are YouTube weekly active users, declining to among year olds and among over
- Disney+ was a big winner during lockdown with a percentage point increase in weekly average users, highlighting the growth of multiple video-on-demand subscriptions
- With of UK consumers never having subscribed to a video on-demand service, distribution partnerships will be key for direct-to-consumer entrants into the UK market
- The TV set remains the primary means of watching TV content in the UK in 2020, with of consumers engaging for hours per week
- Meanwhile, of UK consumers watch YouTube and watch subscription video on demand
- Linear TV is still important – of UK consumers spend between hours per week watching live TV
- However, TV show and movie viewing on TV sets is lower than subscription video on demand at monthly average use – which is still over three times PC viewing, the second-most popular device for UK TV show/movie viewing
Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Player, Channel Amazon, Amazon Prime Video, Disney, Disney+, Facebook, iPlayer, Netflix, Now TV, ITV, ITV Hub, ITV Hub+, Sky Go, YouTube, Virgin Media