Ottavio Mussari Fractional CMO
Research

European Streaming & Subscription Statistics

Latest available and recent data on streaming adoption, subscription behaviour, content, discovery, distribution and piracy across Europe, for executives deciding where and how to grow.

Last updated: September 2026. Sources include Eurostat, the European Audiovisual Observatory, Ofcom, EUIPO, national regulators and leading industry research.

How this research was built

The numbers that matter

32.7%

EU internet users who paid for film, series or sports streaming in 2025.

Internet users aged 16 to 74.

Source: Eurostat
63.9% vs 9.3%

Paid streaming adoption among internet users in Ireland versus Bulgaria.

Illustrating the spread across selected EU markets.

Source: Eurostat
78%

Share of measured SVOD viewing time devoted to TV and SVOD series.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory
44%

Spanish paid-platform households accessing services through internet-provider bundles.

Multiple-choice access routes.

Source: CNMC
86%

UK primary TV sets that could be used to watch TV online.

Source: Ofcom
15-30%

Share of applicable content-provider revenues that standard terms from Google, Amazon and Samsung could allow connected-TV platforms to take.

UK evidence. Negotiated rates can be lower.

Source: Ofcom
49%

Consumers in a Nielsen / Gracenote six-country study who said difficulty finding something to watch could make them cancel a service.

Stated intention, not observed churn.

Source: Nielsen / Gracenote
~EUR 1.06bn

Unlawful IPTV market estimate for Europe in 2021, cited in EUIPO's 2024 report.

Secondary cited estimate, not EUIPO's own primary measurement.

Source: EUIPO

The pattern is consistent: Europe is large, but adoption, behaviour, distribution and economics vary materially by market.

Europe is a large opportunity, but not one market

Europe represents a significant audiovisual and subscription opportunity, but regional averages hide large differences in adoption and maturity. Market prioritisation therefore needs to start below the European headline and at country level.

Internet users paying for film, series or sports streaming, 2025 (selected markets)
Internet users paying for film, series or sports streaming, 2025 (selected markets)
MarketValue
Ireland
63.9%
Denmark
61.1%
Netherlands
59.2%
EU27
32.7% *
Lithuania
17.4%
Latvia
16.7%
Slovenia
13.7%
Bulgaria
9.3%
Source: Eurostat
  • EUR 142bn

    The European audiovisual market was estimated at EUR 142 billion in 2024.

    Source: European Audiovisual ObservatoryEstimate
  • EUR 72bn

    Consumer spending across streaming subscriptions, pay-TV, cinema and home video in 2024.

    Source: European Audiovisual Observatory
  • +15%

    Year-on-year growth in the number of on-demand services available in wider Europe, December 2024 to December 2025.

    Source: European Audiovisual Observatory

    Includes video-sharing platforms, social-media channels and influencer-related services, not only subscription streaming platforms.

  • ~half

    SVOD plus in-video OTT advertising represented nearly half of the European audiovisual market in 2024.

    Source: European Audiovisual Observatory

* EU27 average. Selected markets only; this is not a complete ranking of every European market.

Subscription behaviour differs by market

Penetration does not tell the full story. Mature markets also show subscription stacking, ad-tier adoption, price sensitivity and indirect distribution. The UK and Spain figures below use different populations and should be read side by side, not as identical measures.

United Kingdom

  • 70%

    Households with at least one SVoD subscription in Q1 2026.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 19%

    Households subscribing to Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ at the same time, Q1 2025.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 28%

    Netflix subscribers on Standard with Ads, Q1 2025.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 23%

    Disney+ subscribers on an ad-supported tier, Q1 2025.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 24%

    Netflix unsubscribers citing insufficient use to justify the cost.

    Source: Ofcom

    Reason reported by unsubscribers, not a churn rate.

  • 14%

    Households reporting a Netflix downgrade during the prior year.

    Source: Ofcom

Spain and Germany

  • 65.7%

    Spain: Internet households using paid online audiovisual platforms, Q4 2025.

    Source: CNMC
  • 44%

    Spain: Paid-platform households accessing services through internet-provider bundles.

    Source: CNMC

    Access routes are multiple-choice and not mutually exclusive.

  • >65%

    Spain: Paid-platform households using more than one service.

    Source: CNMC
  • 32%

    Germany: People aged 14+ using SVoD daily or several times daily in 2025.

    Source: die medienanstaltenUsage frequency

Content is global, consumption is still local

Catalogue availability, actual viewing and local relevance are three different things. The European Audiovisual Observatory's measurements show that what is available in a catalogue does not directly translate into what audiences watch.

European works: breadth vs catalogue presence
46%

of unique titles available

32%

of all catalogue appearances

European works make up a large share of distinct titles, but a smaller share when repeated appearances across different catalogues are counted.

European works refers to works from the Council of Europe area, not only EU27.

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory

Viewing figures cover Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max in nine EU countries, January to September 2024.

Discovery is becoming a growth problem

As content fragments across services, finding something to watch becomes a friction point in its own right. Survey evidence quantifies how consumers experience that friction.

  • 26%

    UK: 26% of UK online adults said Netflix was the TV or video service they usually turned to first when thinking about what to watch.

    Source: Ofcom
  • ~1 in 3

    Consumers saying content and service fragmentation negatively affected their TV experience.

    Source: Nielsen / GracenoteConsumer survey
  • 14 min

    Average time spent searching for something to watch.

    Source: Nielsen / GracenoteConsumer survey
  • 49%

    Said difficulty finding something to watch could make them cancel a service.

    Source: Nielsen / GracenoteConsumer survey
  • 66%

    Interested in a single guide across services and information on where programmes are available.

    Source: Nielsen / GracenoteConsumer survey

Nielsen / Gracenote figures are survey-based consumer responses from a six-country study (US, UK, Germany, France, Brazil and Mexico), not Europe-only findings. Cancellation figures represent stated willingness, not observed churn.

How friction builds

  1. Step 1Fragmentation
  2. Step 2Search friction
  3. Step 3Abandoned or reduced viewing
  4. Step 4Lower perceived value and cancellation risk

Conceptual sequence. No causal percentages are implied between steps.

Who owns the front door?

Connected-TV platforms, TV operating systems and device interfaces increasingly mediate access to audiences. The most detailed commercial evidence comes from Ofcom and describes the UK; it should not be read as proof of identical arrangements across every European market.

  • 86%

    UK: Primary TV sets that could be used to watch TV online by the end of 2023.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 16%

    UK: Primary TV sets relying only on internet-delivered content in 2023.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 30m+

    UK: Smart TV sets in use in 2024.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 15-30%

    UK: Ofcom found that standard terms from Google, Amazon and Samsung could allow connected-TV platforms to take 15-30% of applicable content-provider revenues, although negotiated rates can be lower.

    Source: Ofcom
  • 32%

    Europe: Google TV share of the European TV operating-system market in 2026.

    Source: OmdiaIndustry research

What Ofcom found in the UK

  • Self-preferencing was widespread among the major connected-TV platforms reviewed.
  • Platforms can monetise prominence through app placement, pre-installation, content rows, promotions, search integration and remote-control placement.
  • Larger and more popular content providers may have greater negotiating power for premium prominence opportunities.
Source: Ofcom

The path to the viewer

  1. Step 1Consumer
  2. Step 2TV OS, device or platform
  3. Step 3Search, recommendations, app placement, billing
  4. Step 4Streaming service
  5. Step 5Content

Streaming is being reaggregated

Telcos, pay-TV operators, device platforms and other partners are becoming more important in the subscription relationship. Evidence here mixes industry research, consumer surveys and company-reported outcomes, and each is labelled accordingly.

  • 43%

    UK: SVoD subscribers who bought at least one service through another party.

    Source: DeloitteIndustry research
  • ~half

    UK: Close to half of subscriptions to smaller SVoD providers were sourced through an aggregator.

    Source: DeloitteIndustry research
  • ~25%

    Central and Eastern Europe: Approximately 25% of paid SVoD subscriptions in Central and Eastern Europe originated from pay-TV and telco bundles, according to Omdia.

    Source: OmdiaIndustry research

    Omdia's CEE dataset includes Russia.

  • 60

    Unique HBO Max bundle partners across 20 markets, including 13 European markets, in February 2026.

    Source: Ampere AnalysisIndustry research

    Totals across all 20 markets, not Europe-only figures.

  • 303

    Partner packages in which HBO Max appeared.

    Source: Ampere AnalysisIndustry research
  • 44%

    HBO Max partnerships that were hard bundles.

    Source: Ampere AnalysisIndustry research
  • 58%

    UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy: Subscribers wanting one app to manage subscriptions and accounts.

    Source: Bango / 3GemConsumer survey
  • 38%

    UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy: Would accept a higher mobile or internet bill if popular subscriptions were included automatically.

    Source: Bango / 3GemStated intention
  • 26%

    Belgium: Lower churn reported by Telenet among customers taking a subscription bundle.

    Source: Bango / TelenetVendor case study

    Company-reported outcome in a vendor case study, not an independent controlled study.

  • >1 in 3

    Spain: New Movistar customers choosing a Netflix-inclusive product two months after launch.

    Source: TelefónicaCompany-reported outcome

    Historical launch-period evidence from 2019.

Piracy remains significant, and legal availability matters

Piracy is commercially meaningful, but it is measured in different ways. Accesses, visits, users and revenue estimates are different measures and are not combined here. Evidence suggests that the availability and attractiveness of legal offers are associated with piracy levels.

  • 10

    EU27: Average accesses to pirated content per internet user per month in 2023.

    Source: EUIPO
  • 5

    EU27: Average TV piracy accesses per internet user per month.

    Source: EUIPO
  • +10%

    Year-on-year increase in visits to pirate IPTV registration websites in 2023.

    Source: EUIPO

    Registration-site visits, not IPTV viewers or subscribers.

  • >0.8

    Monthly visits per internet user to piracy websites offering unauthorised live sports, February to March 2025.

    Source: EUIPO
  • ~11%

    Reported notices resulting in suspension during the live event.

    Source: EUIPO

    Participation varies by Member State and KPI.

  • 77,262

    Domains and IP addresses blocked through dynamic injunctions during the monitored period.

    Source: EUIPO
  • 13.7m

    EU28: Estimated users of unauthorised IPTV services in 2018.

    Source: EUIPOHistorical estimate
  • ~EUR 1.06bn

    EUIPO's 2024 report cites an estimate that Europe's unlawful IPTV market generated approximately EUR 1.06bn in 2021.

    Source: EUIPOSecondary cited estimate

Qualitative findings

  • EUIPO research finds greater availability of legal content is associated with lower piracy.
  • EUIPO's econometric analysis shows an inverse relationship between legal consumption and piracy.
  • Member State authorities cited pricing, territorial limits and fragmented commercial offers as issues affecting the attractiveness of legal services.
Source: EUIPO

What the data says about expanding a streaming business into Europe

  1. 01

    Prioritise markets, not "Europe"

    The regional opportunity may justify expansion, but adoption, maturity, competition and distribution vary considerably by country.

  2. 02

    Measure maturity, not only TAM

    High penetration can mean strong demand, but it can also mean heavier competition, subscription stacking and greater pressure on value.

  3. 03

    Treat distribution as part of the GTM strategy

    Telcos, pay-TV operators, device ecosystems and connected-TV platforms can materially influence billing, discovery and customer access.

  4. 04

    Build for local relevance

    European consumption remains shaped by market-level content preferences, national relevance and local discovery.

  5. 05

    Build the business case from current evidence

    Market prioritisation should combine adoption, monetisation, competition, distribution, content fit and operating feasibility rather than relying on one regional headline.

About this research

This page curates and synthesises recent evidence from public institutions, regulators and established industry research to help executives evaluate European streaming and subscription markets.

Primary evidence

  • Eurostat
  • European Audiovisual Observatory
  • Ofcom
  • EUIPO
  • European Commission
  • National regulators such as CNMC, AGCOM and die medienanstalten

Supporting evidence

Where official sources do not measure a strategically important topic, selected research is included from organisations such as:

  • Deloitte
  • Nielsen / Gracenote
  • Ampere Analysis
  • Omdia

Company disclosures and commercial case studies may also be used where they provide useful real-world evidence.

Methodological rules

  • EU, Europe, UK and EMEA are not treated as interchangeable geographies.
  • Households, internet users, subscribers, online adults, visitors and total population are different denominators.
  • Forecasts are labelled as forecasts, and estimates as estimates.
  • Survey intentions are not treated as observed behaviour.
  • Company-reported results are identified as such.
  • Association is not presented as causation.
  • Piracy visits, accesses, subscribers and revenue estimates are different measures and are not combined as if equivalent.
  • Third-party statistics remain attributed to the original publisher. This page curates and interprets third-party research and does not claim ownership of the underlying datasets.
Official statisticsIndustry researchConsumer surveyCompany-reported outcome

Last reviewed: September 2026

How to cite this research

For individual statistics, please cite the original source linked next to the statistic. For this page's synthesis and analysis:

Ottavio Mussari, "European Streaming & Subscription Statistics", ottaviomussari.com.

Third-party data remains the property of its original publishers, including Eurostat, European Audiovisual Observatory, Ofcom and EUIPO.

Frequently asked questions

According to Eurostat, 32.7% of EU internet users paid for film, series or sports streaming in 2025.

Among the Eurostat figures shown here, Ireland (63.9%), Denmark (61.1%) and the Netherlands (59.2%) had the highest share of internet users paying for streaming in 2025, compared with 9.3% in Bulgaria.

Stacking is common in mature markets. In Spain, more than 65% of paid-platform households used more than one service (CNMC). In the UK, 19% of households subscribed to Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ at the same time in Q1 2025 (Ofcom).

Very important in several markets. In Spain, 44% of paid-platform households accessed services through internet-provider bundles (CNMC). Omdia reports that approximately 25% of paid SVoD subscriptions in Central and Eastern Europe originated from pay-TV and telco bundles, and Deloitte found 43% of UK SVoD subscribers bought at least one service through another party.

In a Nielsen / Gracenote six-country survey, consumers in the US, UK, Germany, France, Brazil and Mexico spent 14 minutes on average searching for something to watch, and 49% said difficulty finding something could make them cancel a service. This is stated intention, not observed churn.

Increasingly, TV operating systems and connected-TV platforms. Ofcom found self-preferencing to be widespread among the major UK platforms it reviewed, and Omdia reports Google TV held 32% of the European TV operating-system market in 2026.

The European Audiovisual Observatory reports that wider-European content represented 25% of measured SVOD viewing, and national content represented 55% of EU-content viewing, showing that local relevance still shapes consumption.

EUIPO reports EU27 internet users averaged 10 accesses to pirated content per month in 2023, with TV piracy alone averaging 5. EUIPO's 2024 report cites an estimate that Europe's unlawful IPTV market generated approximately EUR 1.06bn in 2021.

EUIPO research finds that greater availability of legal content is associated with lower piracy. This is an association, not proof of causation.

Country-level adoption, market maturity and subscription stacking, local content fit, distribution and bundling options, connected-TV prominence and the attractiveness of the legal offer, rather than one regional headline.
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