‘Netflix is a global streaming superpower – and British shows are playing a crucial role in fuelling that success’
Netflix is a global streaming superpower – and British shows are playing a crucial role in fuelling that success by delivering vast ratings, critical acclaim and genuine audience cut-through.
Adolescence was, as one judge put it, “Netflix’s crowning glory”. The show took less than two weeks to make British TV history, becoming the first title from a streamer ever to top the UK weekly viewing charts. It didn’t stop there – within its first three months it amassed 142m viewers globally, making it the SVoD’s second most watched English language title of all time.
But it is the show’s cultural impact that is even more significant. It could not be more innately British and took our tradition of social drama to a new stratosphere, sparking international conversations about masculinity and teen online safety, and at home led to a Prime Minister’s roundtable meeting at No.10 Downing Street.
Adolescence feels like a template for twenty-first century telly, combining the values of British public service broadcasting and the craft of best-in-class actors, directors and with the ambition, budget and commitment of a global player. The co-partnership behind the series – Sheffield’s Warp Films and Brad Pitt’s production label Plan B – says it all.
But Netflix’s broad and sophisticated slate of UK originals extends far beyond a single mega-hit. The streamer fought off fierce competition to land Best Documentary Programme for the “heartwrenching and enraging” Grenfell: Uncovered; has imported the Love Is Blind franchise to the UK to great effect; and has delivered gangbuster British films such as The Thursday Murder Club.
But it is the remaining new drama slate that speaks to the power of Netflix’s UK output in 2025; there was the gothic charm and creepiness of Dept Q, the quirky swagger of Black Doves, the epic ambition of House of Guinness and the emotional resonance of Toxic Town.
This is the first time a streamer has won our Broadcaster of the Year or Channel of the Year award – it feels unlikely it will be the last.
SHORTLISTED
5
In recent years, 5 has successfully expanded beyond its traditional roots in factual content, particularly in scripted drama, where it has turned around high-quality, low cost shows to both acclaim and ratings success. In March 2025, Channel 5 rebranded to 5, unifying its linear and streaming services under a single brand, and has been rewarded with faster growth in viewing minutes than any other PSB streamer.
BBC
The BBC remains the UK’s most-viewed broadcaster, estimating that it achieved 18.6bn viewer hours in the qualifying period, with hits such as The Traitors, Race Across the World, The Apprentice, Dragons Den, Strictly Come Dancing, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and Gladiators bringing the generations together. At the same, it scored scripted hits with the like of This City Is Ours, Unforgivable, Amandaland, Death Valley and Daddy Issues.
Channel 4
This year saw the launch of Channel 4’s best performing new format with young audiences in 20 years (Virgin Island), its most successful comedy since 2018 (Mitchell and Webb are Not Helping), biggest drama since 2022 (Patience) and most streamed documentary since Leaving Neverland (1,000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story). These contributed to a 13% rise in streaming views and a 55% rise in YouTube views.
ITV1
In the qualifying period ITV had 633 programmes, attracting more than 3 million viewers. Of the top 10 dramas in the 2025 portion of the period, five were from ITV, including Protection, Unforgotten, Playing Nice, Code of Silence and Vera. Key shows entertainment titles, including I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent, 1% Club and The Masked Singer continued to delight the nation.
U
The 2024 of UKTV Play to U, with a 360 campaign and ad featuring superstar Cher, prompted an explosion in growth, with total viewer minutes for VoD content across both free and pay platforms jumping 40% and consumer views growing by 34%, making UKTV the fastest-growing on-demand presence in Britain.
AWARD SPONSORED BY BMC TV
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