Report finds more UK TV viewers watch through apps than linear

The 2025 TiVo UK Video Trends Report has found that more UK viewers are watching free-to-air TV content through apps than through linear distribution - the first time this report has found this. 

The report surveyed 1,004 adults 18 and older living in the UK during the second quarter of 2025, and found that 52.7% accessed this content through apps while 48.3% watched it over the air. The latter is down from 52.9% last year and 61.2% in 2023. 

Overall, traditional broadcasters still hold the largest share of the market in terms of daily viewership, with free-to-air and pay-TV holding 46.9% of the average daily video content viewership of just over four hours. This is in comparison to 24.5% on SVOD platforms, 17.9% on social media including YouTube, and 5.7% on AVOD/FAST. Across all platforms, nearly 75% of the content consumed is UK produced. 

While AVOD/FAST is the smallest part of the pie, it is growing, with 52.5% of UK viewers now using them - a 10% year-on-year increase. This is compared to 84.5% of respondents using at least one SVOD service, up from 81% in 2024.

However, 40.6% say they’re likely to cancel an SVOD service within the next six months, a large increase from the 6% who said the same in 2024. The most common reason for this is that they only subscribed to watch a specific programme (24.5%). Other reasons included the content being duplicated on another service (17.2%), price rises (14.2%), and free trials ending (10.8%). 

Meanwhile, just under two thirds (64.2%) of UK viewers use more than one app in a typical viewing session and nearly half (48.6%) find the process frustrating. 

You can find the full report here. 

“As streaming options multiply, the challenge for viewers isn’t access to content, it’s finding what to watch easily,” said Stéphane David, head of content partnerships & business development, EMEA at TiVo. “Our UK research shows audiences are increasingly frustrated with jumping between apps. They’re asking for simplicity, one experience that unites great content with tailored, relevant recommendations. That’s the content-first experience TiVo OS delivers. It brings together streaming, live TV, and sport in a single, intuitive interface, powered by AI-driven personalisation to help viewers spend less time searching and more time watching what they love.”