Netflix continues to grow British audience as live TV viewing habits decline
Netflix has increased its viewership by almost half (45%) as the rise of subscription video sees 29% of UK adults watching content on the platform each week, according to data released by the IPA.
Netflix viewing figures strengthen in the UK according to IPA research
The IPA Touch Points research has revealed key data around media consumption, revealing that more than half (52%) of people tune in to binge watch. This has added to the average British viewer consuming an average of four hours and 42 minutes of TV a day, according to the research.
The number of adults watching Netflix each week is up to 29% from 20% last year, while the number of 15-34-year-olds has grown from 39% last year to 54% for 2018. This has led it to become the sixth most watched channel for adults, behind BBC One, ITV/STV, Channel 4, BBC Two, and Channel 5.
For 15-34-year-olds, Netflix has become the second most viewed after BBC One.
Amazon Prime Video also grew its reach to 11.7% of adults and 17% of 15-34-year olds, who were viewing for one hour 51 minutes per day and one hour 48 minutes per day respectively.
The total media consumption across TV, radio, social networking, cinema, online and more was totaled at eight hours and 11 minutes per day, growing by 3% year-on-year, with 94% said to be consuming two or more forms of media in the same half an hour at some stage of the week.
IPA President Sarah Golding, who is also the chief executive of The&Partnership, said the data reflected the continued reach of television to the consumer.
“What is particularly apparent this year is the rise in popularity of SVoD channels fuelled by the success of Netflix,” she said.
“Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings famously said last year that their biggest competitor is sleep and, looking at these figures, it is clear that he has a strong argument; there is a finite amount of time in one day, and while our sleep patterns remain fairly constant our media consumption habits continue to rise.
“Ultimately we’re all competing for this space – and so for advertising to get cut-through it is essential we concentrate on creating content that people want to engage with, tailored accordingly to the myriad of available channels and various devices."
Peak viewing time for watching live during the week was found to be between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, with 35% of adults tuning in on average each night of the weekday, a figure which rose to 54% when including all video services too.
The peak time for watching live TV (which has declined by 3% to 67% in the last 12 months) during the week is between 8.30pm and 9.30 pm with 35% of adults tuning in on an average weekday night - this figure rises to 54% when all video services are added in.
Netflix plans to up its marketing efforts after adding 7.41 million new subscribers in its first quarter.
The IPA Touch Points is a consumer-focused, cross-media, cross-device database that aims to meet the needs of the communications industry to enable it plan and evaluate cross-media campaigns. It is based on a representative sample of 6,000 adults aged 15+, living in Great Britain, who each keep an diary detailing their activities on a half hourly basis over a seven-day period. They also complete a questionnaire covering attitudes, product ownership, shopping and media consumption behaviour.