The number of UK adults using pay TV streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video has seen a surge in the past two years, according to official figures.
Almost half of all adults – 46 per cent – said they had watched paid services in the past three months, up from 29 per cent in 2016.
The figure has risen from 55 to 81 per cent meanwhile for 16-24 year olds.
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Some 56 per cent of all adults also said they watch free internet streamed or catch-up television, up from 43 per cent in 2016.
62 per cent of adults confirmed they had watched videos on YouTube or similar in the past three months of 2018, up from 47 per cent.
The data is contained in the Office for National Statistics’ annual Internet Access and Use report.
The landscape of pay TV streaming services is ever-changing, with Apple expected to launch a TV subscription service soon and Disney potentially expanding the content available via its DisneyLife app.
Meanwhile, British broadcasters including the BBC and ITV are reportedly considering creating a UK paid-for streaming service to combat the growing influence of US media and tech companies.
The move could potentially see British shows removed from services such as Netflix and Amazon.
Sending and receiving emails remains the most popular task when using the internet, the study found, with 84 per cent of all adults saying they had done this over the past quarter.
from Radio Times https://ift.tt/2nhWl2z
