Netflix and Amazon Prime Video lost a total of nearly 800,000 UK subscribers between April and June, reports The Guardian.
A survey by the Broadcast Audience Research Board (BARB) reveals that Prime Video suffered the biggest losses, losing 589,000 households, while Netflix was shunned by another 206,000. Sky’s Now streaming membership also fell by 43,000.
The latest round of disconnections are believed to be due to the UK’s cost of living crisis, which has strained family finances and apparently led some to cut Better Call Saul to better cope with the rise energy bills.
“The numbers we’re reporting today show that SVOD [subscription video-on-demand] services aren’t immune as households work hard to make ends meet,” said Justin Sampson, chief executive. from BARB. “We don’t ask households why they choose to add or remove subscriptions, although the sharp rise in energy prices in March/April must have been a catalyst.”
The survey comes just months after Netflix saw subscriber numbers plummet for the first time in a decade. Although, to be fair, there were significant losses after the service was pulled from Russia (700,000 subscribers), while another 600,000 users left after the service raised its prices in the US and Canada.
It’s also worth noting that demand for streaming services was already down. Research firm Kantar previously reported that more than three million UK households canceled a subscription to a streaming service this year, up from 1.51 million in the first three months of the year.
It’s not all pessimistic, however. BARB says Disney Plus added 91,000 more homes between April and June, bringing its subscriber base to 6.62 million, while Apple TV Plus, which currently offers users a 7-day free trial, added more. 43,000, bringing its base to 1.61 million.
Despite recent losses, Netflix remains the most popular streaming giant with over 220 million subscribers worldwide, just ahead of Prime Video at over 175 million.
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Tom is a UK-based journalist, editor and content designer. He has written for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men’s Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many others (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialties include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.
Tom is a UK-based journalist, editor and content designer. He has written for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men’s Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many others (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialties include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.
