The research, from MTM’s ScreenThink market intelligence tool, said that 21% of SVOD users are subscription cycling, a phenomenon where people temporarily add and later cancel subscriptions for specific shows.

MTM said that 42% were open to subscription cycling in the future, and said that 55% of all SVOD subscriptions were purchased on special offer or as part of a bundle.

The deal-driven users were more likely to switch in future, according to the research, with 73% open to switching compared with 41% paying full price.

When analysing Amazon Prime Video, one in three subscribers said they would cancel the service if it was unbundled from their Amazon Prime membership, said MTM.

Among the two-thirds who claimed they would stay with Prime Video if it was decoupled from Prime membership, two in five would only be willing to pay £5 or less per month. 

In addition, 8% of Netflix users were password sharing, up from 6% last year.

The data is from MTM’s ScreenThink Wave 16 study, which was carried out in June 2025 among a nationally representative sample of 3,001 UK online adults. 

Philippe Epailly, director at MTM, said: “We've moved from the ‘attention economy’ to the ‘intention economy’. Simply grabbing eyeballs is no longer enough. Platforms must now understand the shifting intentions of far more discerning and deliberate viewers who are the curators of their own media ecosystems.   

“The platforms that thrive will be those that look beyond the content slate and truly get to grips with the behavioural science of retention, redefining how value is delivered and sustained. Pricing, packaging and user experience must all be re-examined as subscriber loyalty becomes the most valuable and fragile currency of all.”