Near fifth of UK broadband homes take Netflix


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Editor

| 12 December 2015




The SVOD leader may have hit headwinds across continental Europe but in the UK Netflix is flying, according to research from Parks Associates.



So extensive is the uptake of the service, at 18% of broadband homes says Parks, that its market penetration is beginning to draw near usage of ITV Player, the free on-demand and catch-up service from the UK’s third largest broadcaster. The latter is used by 20% of broadband homes. Both lag considerably behind the BBC iPlayer, which is used by a third of such households. Overall, nearly three-fifths (58%) of UK broadband households used a video streaming service or player within the past 30 days.

“The results in the UK and in other European markets show that paid OTT video streaming services are now a fixture in this video entertainment landscape,” said Brett Sappington, director, research, Parks Associates.

“The fact that a growing number of consumers are willing to pay for subscription services when there are free options, like iPlayer and other broadcaster-based sites or apps, shows strong appetite for video among consumers. Netflix, the clear leader in the US, entered Europe with high expectations. Subscriber growth has been slow in several parts of Europe, but with no dominant leaders in subscription services, Netflix and other entrants are gaining a foothold. For example, Amazon Instant Video had the highest rate of usage in Germany, with 17% of broadband households, and Netflix was second at 6%.”