Germany SVOD Subscriber Count to Overtake U.K.

Digital TV Research is forecasting that there will be 238 million SVOD subscriptions across 18 Western European countries by 2026, up from 167 million at the end of 2021.

From the 71 million additions over this period, the U.K. will contribute 9 million, Germany 17 million, Italy 10 million and France 10 million. Germany will overtake the U.K. in 2025 by SVOD subscribers. Germany will have 52 million SVOD subscriptions by 2026, with the U.K. just behind with 51 million.

Netflix will remain the largest SVOD platform, with 67 million paying subscribers by 2026, up by 10 million from the end of this year. Disney+ will have 53 million subscribers by 2026, double from 2021. Amazon Prime Video will remain just ahead of Disney+.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “HBO Max will have a limited impact in Western Europe, with 3.2 million paying subscribers across seven countries by 2026. It is not expected to start in several key European countries due to existing long-term deals with pay-TV operators.”