U.K. Entertainment Industry Achieves Record Value in 2025

New market reporting and analysis from the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE) and Digital Entertainment Group International (DEGI) reveals that the U.K. entertainment industry reached a record total market value of £34 billion ($46.9 billion), an 8 percent increase on 2024.

The value of the home entertainment market, which includes streaming, buying and renting films and TV shows, in the U.K. rose by 10 percent year-on-year to an all-time high of £5.7 billion ($7.8 billion).

Streaming dominated consumption, with 20.3 million U.K. households subscribed to at least one streaming service, an increase of nearly half a million year-over-year, where nearly 70 percent of viewers watched streamed content. Netflix led the U.K. market with 17.6 million home subscriptions, followed by Prime Video with 13.6 million and Disney+ with 7.5 million. There was also market percentage growth for Discovery, which reached 3.2 million home subscriptions; Apple TV, which grew to 2.8 million; and NOW, which rose to 2 million.

Ad-supported streaming models accelerated adoption worldwide. The U.K. reached 23 million ad-supported subscriptions by Q3, with 53 percent of all SVOD subscriptions now ad-supported.

58 percent of U.K. adults now pay for at least one streaming service with ads, despite 55 percent of consumers reporting that they dislike ads but prioritize cost savings.

“2025 was a landmark year for U.K. and international home entertainment, and the global entertainment industry stands united behind creativity and commercial innovation,” said Liz Bales, chief executive of BASE and DEGI. “In the U.K., we are a sector evolving at lightning speed with strength and agility, powered by collaboration. As we move in 2026, the next chapter of this exciting industry story is being written. With stable market conditions, revenues across cinema, physical and digital platforms will continue to grow, confirming that consumers value choice and that diversified release strategies deliver consistent, sustainable growth.”

“Audiences will continue to engage passionately with great stories if we continue to deliver them in exciting ways that match the pace and reality of their lives,” she continued. “I want to thank all of the U.K. and international BASE and DEGI members for their partnership and vision in 2025 and their belief in what can be this year and next. We are now a force of over 100 member and partner organizations, and these results clearly show that together, we are stronger.”