Most used video streaming and downloading services in the United Kingdom (UK) 2021

The results of a survey on the leading video streaming and downloading services in the United Kingdom (UK) found that Netflix was the most popular streaming service as of the fourth quarter of 2021. More than four fifths of respondents stated that they used Netflix to watch TV, series, or movies.

Growing popularity of Netflix and Amazon Prime

Among the top services, both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video demonstrated growth between 2017 and 2021. In contrast, the popularity of platforms such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and All 4 decreased. A survey conducted in 2018 showed that when asked why they used video-on-demand services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, the top reasons cited by respondents included watching original series and content not available elsewhere, and being able to watch multiple episodes in a row, unlike some catch-up services which only host episodes for a maximum of 30 days.

Focus on original content

In order to stand out from other video streaming services, both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have consistently focused on building up their content base. Despite Amazon Prime Video boasting over 20 thousand titles as of February 2021 compared to 6,024 on Netflix, it appears that the latter’s appeal lies in the popularity and demand of its original content. As a company solely focused on digital video streaming, Netflix is also dedicated to growing its product, and continues to inject more into its video content budget each year, reaching 17 billion U.S. dollars as of 2021. In the same year, Amazon only allocated 13 billion dollars for its video content segment.