Research: Brits spend £300 a year on subscription services
March 8, 2022
With the average Brit spending 3 hours and 37 minutes online every day, and an average of 1 hour 21 minutes a day watching online services such as Netflix, research by comparethemarket reveals UK households spend nearly £300 (€360.56) every year on online subscriptions. One in 12 people spend more on subscriptions each month than on clothes. However, one in 25 admit to using a friend or family member’s account, with Liverpudlians being the most likely to do so.
According to the research, over half of Brits can’t live without Netflix, despite Prime Video having more than 20,000 titles available compared to Netflix’s 6,024.
Not only does Spotify have the biggest share of music streamers worldwide, but it also ranks in fourth position for the subscriptions that people need in their lives – with the music streaming service proving most popular among millennials.
Gaming services Xbox Game Pass, and PlayStation Plus take spots six and seven. PlayStation Plus is most popular with 25–34-year-olds (4.5 per cent) whereas Xbox Game Pass is popular with the slightly older generation aged 45-54 (4.5 per cent).
The top 10 most popular online subscription platforms:
Rank |
Online subscriptions |
1 |
Netflix |
2 |
Amazon Prime |
3 |
Disney+ |
4 |
Spotify |
5 |
NOW |
6 |
Xbox Game Pass |
7 |
PlayStation Plus |
8 |
Amazon Music |
9 |
Apple Music |
10 |
BritBox |
People in London, Manchester and Birmingham spend the most on online subscriptions each month. However, those who live in Liverpool and Leeds are most likely to use the log-in details of family and friends to watch their favourite shows.
Commenting on the research, Mubina Pirmohamed, head of digital at comparethemarket, said: “It’s clear that the nation enjoys streaming movies, games and music. However, there’s nothing more frustrating than being halfway through your favourite programme or song and having the buffering symbol appear on your screen. It’s worth checking your broadband speed occasionally to make sure it’s at an optimal level for all of your needs, especially if you live in a busy household with multiple devices using the Wi-Fi.”