The line loss numbers from Openreach were “very encouraging” in spite of “aggressive promotions from alt nets,” said Karen Egan, head of telecoms at Enders Analysis. “There has been a lot of shorting of BT in light of the alt net pressure but they seem to be doing very well in the face of that and their all-important free cash flow recovery story remains very much in tact.”

Jamie MacEwan, senior media analyst at Enders Analysis, said that agencies were facing “sentiment volatility that will be tough for ad agencies to shake”.

He added: “Like it or not, their customers continue to spend big on Google and Meta. This leaves agencies increasingly dependent on a handful of platforms where they are outspent by SMEs and exposed to AI tools. That doesn't mean there isn't a lot for agencies to offer their clients in a complex media world, but clearly real-terms growth on a sector level will continue to be a struggle. That is why even Publicis' years of outperformance have not been significantly rewarded.”

According to Enders Analysis, Disney+ engagement in the UK has begun to improve after over 18 months of decline, with the gap to Netflix narrowing for the first time, albeit modestly.

The alternative networks — or altnets — have been badly hit by rising interest rates, amassing an aggregate £9 billion in debt, according to the latest figures compiled by Enders Analysis.

Karen Egan at Enders Analysis says: “She definitely did benefit from a timing perspective, coming in after Jansen left.

“But to her credit she told the story much better than he managed to.”

“Netflix remains ruthlessly analytical and laser focused on engagement in the games space, and doesn’t have arbitrary guardrails for what is on or off platform,” said Enders Analysis head of media technology and games Gareth Sutcliffe in an interview with GamesBeat. “Roblox activations will remain in the games and marketing portfolio for some time, as it’s more than a quick execution sandbox given its current high growth trajectory. The brand support tools Roblox is bringing online combined with the overall UGC model are substantively complementary rather than competitive.”

The U.K.-based subscription research company Enders Analysis investigated the question in a new cheekily titled report, "A big apple, uneven bites."

The New York Times and Financial Times — both with bustling subscription businesses — are notably absent from Apple News.  Apple News+ subscriptions are “straightforwardly additive” for news businesses that don’t already have “large, mature owned-and-operated subscription businesses,” the Enders report argues.

For more traffic-dependent publishers, Apple News can provide “a rare buffer in a volatile environment,” the report says. “As discovery via search becomes less reliable, millions of users now encounter premium journalism through a service they already pay for, lowering friction and reinforcing Apple News as a default entry point.”

The move comes as the UK’s “altnet” fibre sector, which has sought to take on established providers such as BT, slashes costs as many players face higher interest rates and intense competition. CityFibre had £3.7bn of net debt as of 2025 while Enders Analysis estimates the industry has more than £9bn of net debt.

So is it worth the effort? A report on Apple News in the UK from subscription research service Enders Analysis suggests the answer varies sharply between different types of publisher—but for some, it can offer strong visibility, some revenue and, if leveraged right, even subscriber acquisition.

Apple News+ is the paid version of Apple News, which comes pre-installed on Apple devices and provides users with in-app access to certain paywalled content from partner publishers. Enders estimates 1.7 million people in the UK have access to Apple News+, most of them through the bundled “Apple One” subscription offer. If correct, that would mean Apple News+ has more subscribers than any individual news brand in the UK.

Enders suggested UK Apple News+ generates subscription revenue above £100 million ($136 million) annually, of which half is distributed to partner publishers, distributed proportionate to the share of clicks they generate within the platform.