Categorising streaming engagement
As the growth of streaming viewing slows, the narrative is being reshaped around the types of engagement these platforms can command.
With a common set of metrics across UK streaming platforms, we have categorised and quantified different types of engagement.
While focus inevitably is being directed to intensive, high-value engagement, this is the minority: most viewing is probably fungible, with a large proportion to older, non-exclusive content.
Related reports
Netflix Q2 2026: Tackling the engagement narrative
17 July 2026In Q2, Netflix grew revenue 13% YoY (£12.6 billion), while narrowing its whole-year forecast between $51.0 and $51.4 billion. This was accompanied by an 11% lift in operating income ($4.2 billion). Advertising revenue continues to be on track to double this year to $3 billion.
Recent attention around Netflix’s engagement challenges helps to highlight that the streamer faces the same headwinds faced by all providers of long-form video, amplified by a net viewing loss from the push towards advertising.
As a counter to this, Netflix has a number of initiatives now to diversify its offering and increase engagement: some seem likely to stick and augment while others seem peripheral and value-skewing.
We forecast broadcaster viewing to decline to 50% of all video viewing by 2031 (from 54% in 2025), driven by continued declines in live viewing, albeit at a slower rate than the sharp year-on-year drop seen in 2025.
Non-live broadcaster viewing will increase its share, supported by older demographics as viewing plateaus among under-35s—a trend also true of SVOD services. YouTube is projected to continue its advance on the TV set across all ages.
Although total TV ‘usage’ is flat versus pre-COVID levels, a material and seemingly growing proportion of it (~9%) is when nothing is being watched (e.g. pausing, browsing): this is correlated with smartphone usage and impinges on actual viewing volumes.
Viewing trends in 2025: Young viewers gather around live
12 February 2026Growing BVOD usage in 2025 was unable to offset declining broadcast viewing, whilst YouTube continued its advance on the TV set and SVOD engagement growth was driven by older viewers.
Households are increasingly shifting towards IP-delivered video, whether through IP-only devices, or more likely hybrid UK TV platforms.
Young people’s viewing to SVOD services is less volatile across the year and throughout the day than YouTube and broadcasters—the latter of which is more likely to be shared with other people.
Netflix Q2 2026: Tackling the engagement narrative
17 July 2026In Q2, Netflix grew revenue 13% YoY (£12.6 billion), while narrowing its whole-year forecast between $51.0 and $51.4 billion. This was accompanied by an 11% lift in operating income ($4.2 billion). Advertising revenue continues to be on track to double this year to $3 billion.
Recent attention around Netflix’s engagement challenges helps to highlight that the streamer faces the same headwinds faced by all providers of long-form video, amplified by a net viewing loss from the push towards advertising.
As a counter to this, Netflix has a number of initiatives now to diversify its offering and increase engagement: some seem likely to stick and augment while others seem peripheral and value-skewing.
We forecast broadcaster viewing to decline to 50% of all video viewing by 2031 (from 54% in 2025), driven by continued declines in live viewing, albeit at a slower rate than the sharp year-on-year drop seen in 2025.
Non-live broadcaster viewing will increase its share, supported by older demographics as viewing plateaus among under-35s—a trend also true of SVOD services. YouTube is projected to continue its advance on the TV set across all ages.
Although total TV ‘usage’ is flat versus pre-COVID levels, a material and seemingly growing proportion of it (~9%) is when nothing is being watched (e.g. pausing, browsing): this is correlated with smartphone usage and impinges on actual viewing volumes.
Viewing trends in 2025: Young viewers gather around live
12 February 2026Growing BVOD usage in 2025 was unable to offset declining broadcast viewing, whilst YouTube continued its advance on the TV set and SVOD engagement growth was driven by older viewers.
Households are increasingly shifting towards IP-delivered video, whether through IP-only devices, or more likely hybrid UK TV platforms.
Young people’s viewing to SVOD services is less volatile across the year and throughout the day than YouTube and broadcasters—the latter of which is more likely to be shared with other people.