More UK customers have a streaming subscription than traditional cable or satellite service, reveals survey

March 2021

More UK customers have a streaming subscription than traditional cable or satellite: A survey has found that more people are subscribed to streaming services (89%) than own a cable TV subscription (69%). The survey also found that a third of consumers have multiple streaming subscriptions and 14% are subscribed to at-least three separate streaming services.

The study by Amdocs Media polled 1,000 UK consumers in February 2021. It found that six in ten (60%) have a music subscription, while more than two-fifths (45%) subscribe to a gaming service.

Although more people pay for a music service, the study revealed over half of them (54%) pay less than £10 per month; making it one of the cheapest subscription services. One in six (17%) people who stream music stated the amount of ad-free content impacts their loyalty, a significant increase to the average across all streaming services (7%).

One in five households reported that they are subscribed to an e-learning service, with 39% of all subscriptions starting since March 2020. However, e-learning is one of the least popular subscription services, according to the poll, alongside wellness (25%) and paid journalism (26%). 

The poll also uncovered preferences about how subscription to services could be improved; with 73% of OTT subscribers saying they would pay less for a service with a reduced amount of content that was better suited to them. Furthermore, 70% of OTT subscription holders said they get all their content from services, in contrast to just 59% of satellite TV subscription holders who said the same. Six in 10 (61%) participants also stated they are willing to share their data in order to improve their subscription; often for more content, lower prices or fewer adverts.

Of the consumers observed, 44% stated they care more about the quality of content than anything else when purchasing a subscription service, while 29% expressed a preference for a range of pricing options. Around one in ten (11%) said a limited amount of ad-free content was a priority.