U.K. Video Consumer Spend Set for Modest Gains

Total consumer spend on video content in the U.K. is expected to tick up by 2 percent this year to £11.4 billion, per Futuresource Consulting.

“We’re halfway through the decade, and we’re seeing a market continuing to climb,” said James Duvall, principal analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “SVOD continues to expand, though not in isolation, and the interplay with pay TV, the recovery of cinema and renewed loyalty in transactional all tell a story of resilience and evolution.”

SVOD spending will rise by 6 percent this year, Futuresource predicts, taking about 40 percent of all U.K. video industry revenues. U.K. households hold more than 52 million subscriptions, an increase of 12 million since 2020. Pay TV still holds 45 percent of revenues, but will be overtaken by SVOD in 2029.

Futuresource expects a 1.2 percent CAGR for the U.K. video entertainment market through 2029, powered by SVOD, but theatrical and transactional will also play “meaningful roles.”

“The U.K. market is no longer defined by a simple transition from pay TV to streaming,” said Duvall. “It’s all about striking a balance—between subscription and ad-funded, between streaming and cinema, between digital and physical. Over the next few years, we expect that interplay to become a structural feature and shape the growth paths of every segment in this industry.”