Report: UK viewers spend £82+ monthly on streaming
October 29, 2026



TiVo, a wholly owned subsidiary of entertainment technology company Xperi, has released its latest 2026 UK Video Trends Report, revealing UK viewers are watching more video, paying more for it, and navigating an increasingly fragmented mix of streaming services, apps and platforms.

The research finds UK respondents now spend an average of £82.38 (€98.46) monthly on video, up 11 per cent from £73.99 in 2025. Viewing time is higher too, with an average of 4.62 hours of video content consumed every day, compared to 4.5 hours last year.


But more choice is not necessarily making it easier to decide what to watch. Almost half (48.5 per cent) of respondents are annoyed by having to browse multiple apps to find something to watch. More than three-quarters (77.2 per cent) use multiple apps during a typical viewing session, a sharp increase from 64.2 per cent in 2025. Viewers also frequently abandon what they are watching for another programme or film (22.3 per cent of the time).

The shift comes as consumers seek to navigate more sources of entertainment than ever before. Viewers in England now use an average of 8.64 video sources, up from 7.67 in 2025 and 6.48 in 2024. Northern Ireland has the highest average in the UK, at 9.64 sources.

Yet even as viewers juggle more services and face continued pressure on household budgets, video entertainment remains a priority. Two-thirds (67 per cent) consider video services a moderate-to-high priority, with average monthly spending on SVoD subscriptions climbing 24 per cent to £34.83 and spend on sports streaming subscriptions rising 20 per cent to £33.01.

“UK viewers have an ever-growing amount of entertainment sources at their fingertips, but that abundance of choice is creating new challenges,” commented Stéphane David, Head of Content Partnerships & Business Development, EMEA at TiVo. “People are investing more of their precious time and money in content, but they’re being forced to navigate an incredibly complex menu of apps, platforms and services just to find something to watch. There’s a clear opportunity for the industry to give back to the viewer by simplifying the experience, bringing content together, making discovery more intuitive and helping viewers spend less time searching and more time enjoying more of the content they love.”

Additional findings include:

Video consumption continues to extend beyond the living room: 39.7 per cent of respondents use video services while in the car, up from 34.2 per cent in 2025 and 28.9 per cent in 2023.
Old favourites still dominate viewing habits: More than four in ten hours of viewing time is spent rewatching familiar programmes and films. Even as libraries expand, viewers value comfort.
Watching traditional TV increasingly means opening an app: More than 57 per cent of time spent watching broadcaster television is now through an app, up from 52 per cent in 2025, while over-the-air viewing has fallen to 43 per cent.
Ad-supported streaming continues to grow: 57.2 per cent of SVoD viewers use ad-supported subscription tiers, while 57.6 per cent of all respondents use AVoD/FAST services, up from 52.5 per cent in 2025. AVoD/FAST users regularly watch an average of 7.1 channels.
Smart TVs are now firmly established in UK homes: 79.9 per cent of respondents own a Smart TV, while 17.2 per cent expect to purchase a new one before the end of the year.
The full report can be downloaded here.

https://go2.tivo.com/UK_VTR_Q226_EXT