Netflix subscribers to exceed 10m

Netflix had more than 9m subscribers by the end of Q1 2018 according to Barb and if churn levels remain low, research from media and tech research and strategy consultancy MTM shows 1.1m consumers intending to subscribe to the service before the end of the year.

This was one of the findings from the latest edition of ScreenThink, MTM’s syndicated market tracker looking at the UK TV market. It focuses on consumer attitudes, perceptions and satisfaction levels with current TV platforms and video products and is based on a survey of more than 3,000 UK online users aged 16+.

Nearly 25% of UK internet users overall – and 39% of 16- to 24-year-olds – claim that video offerings such as Netflix and YouTube are the first services they turn to when looking for TV or video content.

The greater availability of low-cost, paid-for video services such as Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video is affecting people’s perceptions of value for money: 54% of UK pay-TV subscribers now believe their TV service is overpriced, and 1 in 4 are thinking about cancelling their subscription.

“The most recent ScreenThink study provides a fascinating snapshot of a market in transition, demonstrating the significant impact of Netflix and other OTT video services in the UK market,” says Jon Watts, Managing Partner at MTM.

“The UK’s broadcasters and pay-TV providers remain in a strong position and have developed world-class OTT products – the BBC iPlayer, All4, the ITV Hub, My5 and Now TV – but we’re clearly seeing signs of significant shifts in consumer attitudes and perceptions of quality, in terms of content, value for money and innovation.”