For many of us, our favourite Online Bingo Site, TV shows and films don’t just provide background noise; they provide a source of comfort, connection, and countless hours of entertainment. And with around a third of our waking hours being spent watching TV or streaming – it’s clear that this medium remains a much-loved part of many of our lives. But which shows or platforms are the UK’s favourites? And how do TV tendencies differ depending on our age, gender or location?
To find out more about the nation’s watching habits, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults in June 2025 using market research company, Censuswide. We also carried out analyses of Google searches and social media data relating to the most-viewed TV shows in the UK, and gathered all of the most recent TV and streaming statistics for 2025.
TV Statistics in a Nutshell
Just here for the quick numbers? Here are the key findings from our research:
- 64% of people in the UK watch Netflix at least weekly
- Fewer than 1 in 5 people in the UK watch “linear TV” in 2025 – i.e. traditional TV
channels which broadcast on a set schedule - Coronation Street is the UK’s most viewed soap, with 4.4 million views per episode on
average in 2024
TV Streaming Statistics: Which is the Most Popular Streaming Service in the UK?
With so many platforms competing for viewer attention, many households in the UK now have access to multiple subscription video-on-demand services (SVODs). But which is the most popular in 2025?
- Netflix is by far the most frequently used TV streaming service, with 64% of UK
adults watching on a weekly basis. - Amazon Prime is the 2nd most popular option, with nearly half of the UK (47%) using
it to stream TV at least once a week. - BBC iPlayer comes in close 3rd, used weekly by 46% of the nation.
- YouTube TV and Disney Plus also make the top 5 TV streaming platforms when it comes
to frequency (37% and 31%, respectively). - Although not quite as popular, catch-up services for specific channels such as ITVx
Player (29%) and Channel 4 on Demand (22%) are also used by many. - Broadcast TV is one of the least common ways people in the UK watch TV (18%),
followed by 5 on Demand (16%), Apple TV (14%) and Now TV (11%).
| Streaming Platform | Percentage of UK Adults Watching Weekly |
|---|---|
| 1. Netflix | 64.05% |
| 2. Amazon Prime | 47.15% |
| 3. BBC iPlayer | 45.90% |
| 4. YouTube TV | 37.20% |
| 5. Disney Plus | 31.35% |
| 6. ITVx Player on Demand | 29.10% |
| 7. Channel 4 on Demand | 21.60% |
| 8. Linear TV (scheduled broadcasts) | 18.35% |
| 9. 5 on Demand | 15.80% |
| 10. Apple TV | 14.40% |
| 11. Now TV | 11.45% |
Popularity of Live Broadcast TV
But how about traditional TV (referred to in the industry as “Linear TV?”) How many of us are still tuning in to catch the news, our favourite soap or series at the time they’re broadcast? And which age groups are most likely to do so?
Our survey of 2,000 UK adults in June 2025 revealed that:
- Traditional TV is one of the least common ways people watch television, ranking 8th out of the 11 most popular methods of viewing in the UK.
- In fact, less than 1 in 5 UK adults watch live, broadcast TV on a weekly basis (18%).
- This is far lower for younger generations, with less than 8% of 16-24 year olds tuning in at least weekly.
- 35-44 year olds are also amongst the least likely to watch traditional television (12%).
- While, interestingly, 25-34 year olds tune in slightly more often, with 14% watching weekly.
- Those aged 55 and over however, are the most likely to watch broadcast TV on a weekly basis – with a quarter saying they do so.
- 45-54 year olds follow closely behind, with 21% watching at least once a week.
Our study also found that of all major towns and cities in the UK:
- Broadcast TV is watched most frequently in Brighton, with 36% of people saying they watch at least once a week.
- Traditional television also appears to have sustained some popularity in Cardiff, with 35% tuning in weekly.
- Those in Plymouth and Belfast, however, are the least likely to watch TV in the traditional way though, with just 12% saying they do so weekly or more.
And when it comes to gender:
- Linear broadcast TV is watched slightly more frequently by men than women (20% vs 17%) on a weekly basis.
Most-Used TV Streaming Platform by Age Group
It’s clear that the older we are, the more likely we are to watch broadcast TV on a regular basis –
but how do our TV streaming service preferences compare? And which platforms are capturing the attention of different generations? According to our survey’s findings:
- Netflix is the most used TV streaming service amongst all age groups in the UK, apart from those aged 55 and over, who use BBC iPlayer most regularly.
- After Netflix, the second most popular platform amongst younger generations (age 16-24 & 25-34) is YouTube TV.
- While the second most-used service amongst 35-44 year-olds and 45-54 year-olds is Amazon Prime.
| Age Group | Most Used Weekly | Second Most Used Weekly |
|---|---|---|
| 16–24 | Netflix | YouTube TV |
| 25–34 | Netflix | YouTube TV |
| 35–44 | Netflix | Amazon Prime |
| 45–54 | Netflix | Amazon Prime |
| 55+ | BBC iPlayer | Netflix |
Do Men and Women Stream TV Differently?
While most TV streaming platforms aim to appeal to a broad audience, it’s perhaps inevitable
that viewing habits and platform preferences will differ across different demographics, including
gender. But to what extent do men and women’s streaming habits differ? Our survey found:
- Women watch TV slightly more often than men – with 95.25% of women watching TV of some kind at least once a week, compared with 94% of men.
- Netflix and Disney Plus’ popularity is consistent across genders, with almost identical usage between men and women.
- Apple TV on the other hand, has the most dramatic gender difference, being used by more than twice as many men than women on a weekly basis (20% vs 9%).
- YouTube TV also sees significantly higher male engagement (43% compared to females’ 32%), as well as Amazon Prime (49% vs 45%) and Now TV (14% vs 9%).
- Female dominance however can typically be seen with broadcaster catch-up services, such as ITVx Player on Demand which is used at least weekly by 33% of women and just 24% of men.
- Similarly, BBC iPlayer (48% vs 44%), Channel 4 on Demand (22% vs 21%), and 5 on Demand (16% vs 15%) all see higher female viewership.
Where in the UK do People Watch the Most TV?
We all love getting cosy in front of the tele at the end of a long day, whether it’s to catch up with
our favourite reality TV show or binge-watch a gripping crime-drama – but which parts of the
country are home to the most keen TV fanatics?
Please note: Our survey asked respondents about which TV streaming platforms they use at least once a week. It did not specify how many days or hours per week they spend watching TV. Therefore our data is simply a reflection of the proportion of people in each part of the UK who watch TV of some kind at least once a week. To calculate the percentage of people who watch TV weekly, we subtracted the percentage of people who said they don’t watch any TV in a typical week from 100.
Our survey revealed that:
- Yorkshire – the home of many British classics such as Emmerdale, Last of the Summer Wine, Heartbeat, and Happy Valley – emerges as a hotspot for TV enthusiasts, with 97% saying they watch some kind of TV at least once a week.
- This is followed by Greater London and Scotland, where 95% watch at least weekly.
- Those in the East of England, however, tend to tune in much less frequently, with 1 in 12 saying they don’t watch TV of any kind in a typical week.
| Region | Percentage of People Who Watch TV Weekly |
|---|---|
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 96.95% |
| Greater London | 95.79% |
| Scotland | 95.73% |
| North West | 95.48% |
| South West | 95.40% |
| South East | 94.95% |
| Wales | 94.68% |
| West Midlands | 93.75% |
| Northern Ireland | 92.73% |
| North East | 92.50% |
| East Midlands | 92.47% |
| East of England | 92.02% |
And when it comes to cities:
- More people in Cardiff than any other UK city watch TV on a weekly basis (99%).
- This is followed by Leeds and Southampton (97%).
- While people in Norwich are the least frequent viewers, with 1 in 10 people saying they don’t watch any TV on a weekly basis.
| City | Percentage of People Who Watch TV Weekly |
|---|---|
| Cardiff | 98.55% |
| Leeds | 97.17% |
| Southampton | 96.74% |
| Edinburgh | 96.05% |
| Sheffield | 95.65% |
| London | 95.10% |
| Manchester | 95.08% |
| Nottingham | 94.79% |
| Glasgow | 94.74% |
| Plymouth | 94.64% |
| Bristol | 94.62% |
| Newcastle | 93.24% |
| Belfast | 92.86% |
| Birmingham | 92.65% |
| Liverpool | 92.11% |
| Brighton | 91.80% |
| Norwich | 90.48% |
The Most Popular Broadcast TV Shows of 2024
TV and streaming services are clearly very popular amongst UK adults – but which shows in particular captivate our attention and get us talking (and Googling) about them most? To find out, we used BARB viewing data to discover the 100 most-viewed shows of 2024 and analysed Google search volume data for each show using KWFinder. The results revealed that:
- BBC News and Olympics 2024 were the most Googled shows of 2024. It’s important to note however, that although TV programs – many people searching for these terms are likely to have also been looking for news articles or videos, rather than just content relating to the shows themselves.
- Eastenders was the next most popular, with searches spiking in December amidst dramatic cliffhangers such as Cindy Beale’s Christmas Day attack and Linda Carter’s harrowing battle with alcoholism.
- Longstanding British favourite Strictly Come Dancing was also amongst the UK’s most-searched shows of 2024, with searches particularly high in the final three months of the year during the show’s live competitive run.
- Some less traditional shows also gained much popularity last year, including Netflix’s action-comedy, The Gentlemen and thriller series Fool Me Once.
- After its roaring return to UK screens in January 2024, the gameshow Gladiators also became a significant talking point.
| Rank | TV Show | Average Monthly Searches (UK, 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBC News | 48,866,667 |
| 2 | Olympics 2024 | 876,667 |
| 3 | EastEnders | 558,000 |
| 4 | Strictly Come Dancing | 555,000 |
| 5 | The Gentlemen | 470,750 |
| 6 | Gladiators | 455,167 |
| 7 | Fool Me Once | 453,208 |
| 8 | ITV News | 437,833 |
| 9 | Coronation Street | 418,833 |
| 10 | Love Island | 415,750 |
| 11 | Emmerdale | 343,333 |
| 12 | Gavin and Stacey | 343,042 |
| 13 | Bridgerton | 322,292 |
| 14 | Fallout | 280,367 |
| 15 | Doctor Who | 250,917 |
| 16 | Black Doves | 204,883 |
| 17 | Death in Paradise | 186,875 |
| 18 | Blue Lights | 175,750 |
| 19 | Mr Bates vs The Post Office | 151,867 |
| 20 | Until I Kill You | 149,929 |
Reality TV Statistics: the UK’s Most Popular Shows
You can’t beat a good guilty pleasure – whether it’s an extra cookie (or five) or getting caught up in the drama of your favourite reality TV show – or even better – both at the same time! The breakups, the drama and the endless “who’s dating who now?” questions are all part of the fun, transforming us from normal viewers into armchair relationship experts and internet gossipers.
But which reality TV shows get us hopping onto social media the most?
To find out, we took all of the reality TV shows in BARB’s list of the 100 most-viewed shows of 2024 and gathered the most popular hashtags relating to each show. We then took to Instagram to discover how many posts had been shared with each hashtag. The results found:
- Singing contest, The Voice, is by far the most popular reality TV show across social media, with 3.2 million posts using the hashtag #TheVoice.
- Dating reality TV show Love Island comes in second place, with the hashtag #LoveIsland being used in an impressive 1.2 million Instagram posts.
- This is followed by the longstanding talent contest, Britain’s Got Talent, whose most popular hashtag #BGT has now been used in over 871,000 posts.
- Also in the top five is The Great British Bake Off, with #BakeOff and #GBBO being used in 871,000 and 868,000 posts, respectively.
- The top 10 most-used reality TV hashtags also include #CCB (Celebrity Big Brother), #MasterChef, #Gladiators, #Strictly (Strictly Come Dancing) and #FieldOfDreams (Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams).
| Rank | Hashtag | Number of Instagram Posts (as of June 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | #TheVoice | 3,200,000 |
| 2 | #LoveIsland | 1,200,000 |
| 3 | #BGT | 871,000 |
| 4 | #BakeOff | 868,000 |
| 5 | #GBBO | 606,000 |
| 6 | #CBB | 590,000 |
| 7 | #MasterChef | 454,000 |
| 8 | #Gladiators | 423,000 |
| 9 | #Strictly | 303,000 |
| 10 | #FieldOfDreams | 281,000 |
| 11 | #SCD | 259,000 |
| 12 | #StrictlyComeDancing | 254,000 |
| 13 | #MarriedAtFirstSight | 210,000 |
| 14 | #MAFS | 162,000 |
| 15 | #SewingBee | 152,000 |
| 16 | #DragonsDen | 117,000 |
| 17 | #ImACeleb | 116,000 |
| 18 | #TheApprentice | 95,400 |
| 19 | #DancingOnIce | 92,800 |
| 20 | #MaskedSinger | 83,600 |
| 21 | #Gogglebox | 75,700 |
| 22 | #ImACelebrity | 57,600 |
| 23 | #PotteryThrowDown | 51,000 |
| 24 | #CelebrityBigBrother | 42,500 |
| 25 | #TheTraitors | 37,000 |
| 26 | #InteriorDesignMasters | 31,100 |
| 27 | #ThePiano | 30,400 |
| 28 | #ClarksonsFarm | 26,100 |
| 29 | #LongLostFamily | 23,500 |
It’s important to note that some of these shows have international versions, hence contributing to their
high hashtag frequencies. What’s more, some hashtags may have been used in reference to things other
than these shows, for instance, some uses of #Gladiator were in reference to the style of sandals, rather
than the show.
Soap Statistics: Which is the UK’s Favourite Soap Opera?
For decades, soap operas have been right there at the heart of British television, bringing our daily doses of drama, heartbreak, and community spirit right to our living rooms. From the cobbled streets of Corrie, to Eastender’s bustling Albert Square – but which of these long-running staples reigns supreme as the UK’s favourite?
- As well as being the world’s longest running soap opera, Coronation Street holds the top spot as the UK’s most viewed soap, averaging 4.4 million viewers per episode across 2024.
- Eastenders follows in second place, with an average of 3.5 million viewers per episode in 2024. The show was also the most-watched soap on Christmas Day 2024, with both episodes topping the BARB overnight ratings.
- Rounding out the top three, Emmerdale also consistently pulls in strong numbers, averaging around 3.5 million viewers per episode in 2024.
- Another British favourite – Hollyoaks, gained a large proportion of its viewership from its strong performance on streaming platforms and with younger audiences. Now described as a ‘digital-first’ soap, 2024 saw a +71% YOY increase in views per episode across the platforms it’s streamed on.
Who is the UK’s Favourite Soapstar?
As popular as the soaps themselves may be, it’s often the iconic characters that keep us coming back for more. But who is our official favourite soapstar? According to global online search volumes:
- The most popular soap character is Emmerdale’s Belle Dingle, with an average of 100,000 searches being made each month for her name worldwide.
- This is followed by Coronation Street’s Gail Platt, whose name is searched 67,000 times per month on average.
- Eastenders’ very own Phil Mitchel comes in third place, with an average of 66,600 monthly searches for his name.
TV & Streaming Statistics – Tuning Out
From the dominance of streaming, to shifts in loyalties across generations, our TV statistics have shown that the world of television is constantly evolving. But one thing remains constant – and that is our love for compelling entertainment. What will the future hold for TV and video streaming? Who knows! But we can’t wait to see what it brings.
Methodology and Caveats
Here’s how we acquired our numbers.
- Our survey data: We commissioned Censuswide to poll a demographically representative sample of people over 16 in the UK. This ensures maximum accuracy in the data
- Average Google Searches: Wherever we have cited average Google searches, we have used data from kwfinder.com, which is an estimate. For the soap stars being searches, we looked at global figures. For the names of the soaps themselves we used UK figures only.
- Viewing figures are taken from barb.co.uk
The figures for estimated Google searches are searches per month based on an average of the last 12 months. Naturally, if soaps are currently airing big storylines featuring certain characters, those characters are likely to be searched for more. So this data is likely to feature soap stars who have been featured in big storylines over the last 12 months.
If you’d like to see the raw data or have any questions, please contact press email.
