The number of subscribers to streaming services in the UK has taken a hit as consumers face rising food and fuel costs.
Data released by Barb from its Q2 2022 Establishment Survey show a drop of 2% to 19.19 million UK homes (67% of households).
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and NOW all saw quarterly drops in the number of UK homes with access to their services.
Amazon Prime Video, which has subsequently announced a £1 increase in its subscription fees from September, has seen the largest percentage decrease. It dropped 589,000 subscribers, or 3%, to 12.76 million homes.
Sky’s NOW declined by 64,000 (3%) to 2.07 million homes while Netflix shed 206,000 subscribers to 17.08 million homes.
Disney+ and Apple TV+ both made small quarterly gains. The House of Mouse added 91,000 subs to reach 6.62 million homes, while the Cupertino company added 43,000 to settle on 1.61 million homes.
“Our latest data confirm other sources which have reported declining subscription levels for SVOD services during the first half of 2022,” said Justin Sampson, BARB’s Chief Executive. “We don’t ask households why they choose to add or drop subscriptions, although the sharp increase in energy prices in March/April must have been a catalyst for people to review all their monthly outgoings. The numbers we report today show SVOD services aren’t immune as households work hard to make ends meet.”
The Establishment Survey enables BARB to understand the characteristics of UK households, part of ensuring that its daily reporting of television audiences is representative of the whole population.
