Netflix has overtaken the BBC as the first destination for UK viewers deciding what to watch.
According to Ofcom's latest Media Nations report, 26 percent of UK viewers in 2025 said Netflix is where they turn first when thinking about what to watch, putting it ahead of the BBC at 25 percent. ITV came in at 15 percent and YouTube at 10 percent. The year before, the BBC led at 28 percent with Netflix at 23 percent. Ofcom noted there were some changes in methodology between the two surveys, so the figures are considered indicative rather than definitive, Deadline reported.
The gap between the two widens sharply when broken down by age. Among viewers aged 16 to 24, 36 percent go to Netflix first compared to just 14 percent for the BBC. At the other end, 48 percent of viewers over 75 still reach for the BBC first, while only 5 percent in that age group choose Netflix.
The shift comes after several years of Netflix producing major UK hits including Adolescence, The Gentlemen and Baby Reindeer. The BBC, meanwhile, is currently renegotiating its funding model and has raised the possibility of requiring streaming subscribers to pay the £180 television licence fee even if they do not watch BBC content.
Ofcom also found that more adults now associate Netflix with high quality content, content that is relevant to them, and creative content than they do the BBC. YouTube ranked ahead of the BBC specifically on creative content. The BBC did score higher on one measure: content that offers a different point of view from the viewer's own.
British drama remains a stronghold for the corporation. Sixty-six percent of adults associate the BBC with British drama, compared to 24 percent for Netflix. That Netflix figure is just behind Channel 5, which came in at 28 percent.
The BBC and Netflix tied for most-watched content of the year, with four titles each in the top 10. The most-watched program of 2025 was KPop Demon Hunters with 24.4 million viewers, followed by Adolescence at 16 million for its most-watched episode and the BBC's Celebrity Traitors at 14.8 million.
Streaming revenues in the UK had a strong year financially. Revenue for major streaming platforms rose 18 percent to £5.2 billion, which Ofcom attributed to subscription price increases rather than subscriber growth. The proportion of subscribers on advertising-supported tiers for services like Netflix and Disney+ also rose rapidly during the period. Pay-TV revenues were up 4 percent to £6.2 billion.
One bright spot for traditional broadcasters: 2025 was a record year for third-party funding of broadcaster content. That figure rose more than 10 percent to £748 million, with co-productions such as the BBC and Prime Video's The Night Manager among the high-profile examples.
Older viewers also showed movement toward streaming. Average viewing hours on streaming platforms for audiences over 75 rose 56 percent in 2025 to 36 hours per person per year. For viewers aged 55 to 74, the figure rose 28 percent to 85 hours per person per year.
