Research published by Worldpanel by Numerator’s Q3 2025 Entertainment on Demand report (previously compiled by Kantar) shows ad-supported streaming services hit a record 23 million subscriptions in the UK, with a year-on-year increase of 6 million viewers.
The figures are closing the gap on ad-free alternatives, which accounted for 29 million viewers across the period.
Amazon Prime Video reclaimed the top position with 17 per cent of new paid subscriptions, moving ahead of Disney+, which recorded 16 per cent. Driven by a slate including Clarkson’s Farm, GenV and Reacher, one in five of Prime Video’s viewers stated they “love the brand”, on par with Disney+ and outpacing Netflix.
Disney+ overtook Netflix in subscriber satisfaction in ad metrics, including load, length, relevance and variation, a strategic advantage, as ad dissatisfaction increases churn risk by 47 per cent.
Netflix demonstrated a “solid” performance during Q3, with the second season of Wednesday dominating most-watched and most enjoyed lists. The streamer’s performance is accelerating adoption of its ad-supported tier, with existing ad-free customers switching to lower cost plans alongside new sign-ups, according to the data.
Hosting the FIFA Club World Cup during the summer months helped DAZN achieve record subscriber numbers over a quieter sporting period, reporting a surge in UK customers of nearly 50 per cent, its largest single-month growth in the region.
Additional findings include:
- The number of households with at least one paid video streaming service rose to 20.3 million in Q3 2025, an increase of 457,000 year-on-year.
- Wednesday on Netflix was the most watched title, followed by Squid Game. Six of the top ten most watched titles were on Netflix, highlighting its strength in subscriber engagement.
- 40 per cent of new subscriptions were ad-supported compared with 29 per cent last year
·Commenting on the findings, Dominic Sunnebo, global insight director at Worldpanel by Numerator, said, “Netflix has always been an early adopter, the disrupter that ushered in an entirely new way to watch quality TV and film at home. But as advertising on VoD platforms matures, the way in which consumers experience their favourite programme has inched closer to traditional TV. With this natural evolution comes a maturity of the VoD industry and significant competition. Over the last six months the proportion of Netflix’s ad-tier customers that were satisfied with the number and length of ads fell by around 5 percentage points, while Disney+ improved across all measures to take the lead.
“There is a real balance to be found for streaming services between ad fatigue and the quality of ads that are being monetised. This hasn’t yet materialised into a churn problem for the major services, but it may well prove to be a long-term challenge in sustaining audiences. In this respect, a lot can be gleaned from DAZN’s approach to capitalise on a global moment and smartly keep hold of viewers’ attention.”
