Barb has published a new report, What People Watched in 2025, arguing that UK viewing habits are better explained by adaptation than a clean break from linear television.
The report spans live and on-demand viewing across broadcasters’ VOD services, subscription streamers and video-sharing platforms, bringing the different parts of the TV ecosystem into a single picture.
A key headline is that live remains a substantial component of TV-set viewing, including among younger audiences. Barb says that in December 2025, live viewing represented 45% of total identified viewing on the TV set. Major live audiences in 2025 were driven by event programming, including sport such as the BBC and ITV’s coverage of the Women’s Euros final, alongside entertainment franchises and “comfort TV” staples including BBC One’s Celebrity Traitors and Channel 4’s Gogglebox.
At the same time, on-demand streaming continued to grow as a share of total viewing. Barb puts on-demand streaming at 38% of viewing in 2025 across broadcasters’ on-demand services, subscription platforms and video-sharing services. One of the more significant findings for rights holders and streamers is the role of catalogue: Barb says a large proportion of viewing on the UK’s 3 biggest subscription platforms (Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix) went to titles that had been available for more than 12 months, underlining the long tail value of library programming and the importance of ongoing discoverability, not just premieres.
The report also digs into how people find content. Barb lists the most-used TV navigation platforms in 2025 as Freeview, Sky and smart TV EPGs, with YouTube in 4th place. Viewers were most likely to begin sessions with the top 10 TV channels after switching on, with 37% of viewing sessions starting there. For 16–34s, Netflix was the most common first port of call, accounting for 26% of TV-set switch-ons, while 4–15s were as likely to begin with YouTube, which also accounted for 26% of children’s viewing session starts.
Barb’s data also suggests the living room has become the primary device for YouTube consumption in the home. The TV set is now the most-used device for watching YouTube via domestic WiFi networks, with viewing skewed heavily towards children aged 4–15, who accounted for around a quarter of YouTube TV-set viewing in 2025 despite representing roughly one-seventh of the UK population. The implication for broadcasters and advertisers is that YouTube is no longer simply “second screen”; it is competing for first-screen attention, particularly in younger demographics, and increasingly within the same navigation flows as linear channels and broadcaster VOD.
Justin Sampson, Chief Executive at Barb, said: “Commentary about television is too often based on a binary premise that ignores a more complex reality. Barb’s independent evidence points to a world in which viewing is defined more by adaptation than disruption.” He added that the ecosystem is “more connected, nuanced and resilient than the clichés and partial viewpoints suggest”, with live audiences holding up and a “symbiotic relationship” emerging between services and platforms.
The report includes contributions from the BBC, Netflix, Ofcom and the7stars, alongside a guest essay on the importance of trusted research for advertising effectiveness, as measurement debates intensify around cross-platform viewing.
