Netflix Edges BBC as UK Viewers' First Pick: Ofcom
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Ofcom's Media Nations report found Netflix is now the "first port of call" for 26% of UK viewers, narrowly ahead of the BBC at 25%.
- KPop Demon Hunters and Adolescence were the UK's most-watched titles in 2025, reaching audiences of 24 million and 16 million respectively, per Ofcom.
- The BBC is fighting back in early 2026: The Traitors, Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager, and BBC/ITV World Cup coverage topped ratings, Ofcom said.
- The BBC still led total video viewing share at 18% in 2025 per Barb data — followed by YouTube (15%), ITV (11%) and Netflix (9%).
- YouTube viewing on TV screens has doubled over the past four years, even as live TV viewing among 16- to 24-year-olds and 4- to 15-year-olds each dropped 17%.
- UK public service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4) delivered more than 30,000 hours of UK-originated content last year — outproducing Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Apple combined.
Why it matters: The numbers contradict the headline framing: Netflix edges BBC on "first port of call" (26% vs 25%), but the BBC still commands double Netflix's share of total viewing time (18% vs 9%) and produces more UK-originated hours than the major streamers combined. Live programming and event TV — Traitors, World Cup, Night Manager — are the BBC's defensive moat, even as YouTube on TV screens doubles and young viewers' broadcast time falls 17%.
