More than 24 million British viewers tuned in to KPop Demon Hunters last year, making it the most-watched programme of 2025 – and cementing Netflix’s status as the service a quarter of Britons turn to first. Ofcom’s annual Media Nations report reveals that the streaming platform is now the default choice for 26% of viewers, narrowly ahead of the BBC on 25%.
The home of Adolescence – which drew 16 million viewers – has managed to produce breakthrough hits even as the streaming market slows. But the national broadcaster is mounting a fightback. Ofcom notes that the latest series of The Traitors and Tom Hiddleston’s return in The Night Manager topped the ratings in early 2026, a trend continued into the summer thanks to BBC and ITV coverage of the World Cup.
“Netflix ties with BBC as 26% of Britons' first TV choice, Ofcom finds.”
Kate Davies, Ofcom’s group director for strategy and research, described the competitive landscape between the BBC, Sky, Netflix and Google-owned YouTube as “fierce”. She said traditional broadcasters were showing “resilience” through live and event programming, adding: “To thrive and survive in the current media landscape, it’s more important than ever for companies to continue to understand changing audience habits and adapt their strategies to meet people where they are.”
Despite the close first-choice share, the BBC remains ahead in overall video viewing. Barb data shows the BBC accounted for 18% of total video watched in 2025, followed by YouTube on 15%, ITV on 11% and Netflix on 9%. YouTube is becoming a bigger fixture on TV sets, with viewing via televisions doubling over four years.
Younger audiences are drifting away from live TV. Among 16- to 24-year-olds and 4- to 15-year-olds, live viewing fell by 17% each – though Ofcom attributes part of that decline to the absence of major sporting events in 2025, compared with the boost from the Paris Olympics and Euro 2024 the previous year.
With streaming growth plateauing and traditional broadcasters fighting back, the battle for Britain’s remote control is far from over.
