June 15, 2026
There are more than a dozen video streaming services available in the UK. Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, just to name a few.
All of these companies are competing for the same TVs, and with SVoD (Subscription Video on Demand) services on a decline, these companies need to come up with ways to attract new users.
Within the last year or so, we’ve seen some exciting deals, product development, and strategy shifts occurring in the industry, but are any of them working?
Product Quality, Deals, and More
Product developments have occurred. Netflix has new self-produced shows and films out almost every week/month. Other platforms have also followed suit, giving users a reason to subscribe to their platforms rather than others.
This is happening across all industries nowadays. In the highly competitive iGaming sector, games like the Betfair Even Bigger Bananas 2 slot, for example, show how individual platforms are branding slots to connect their brand directly to the experience. By offering such games, they ensure that players directly connect their platform to the offerings available. In a highly competitive sector, much like the streaming sector, this kind of brand recognition is essential, explaining Netflix and other platforms decisions to self-produce new content.
Streaming platforms now lead their product experience with discounted offers, hoping to attract more customers. A good example of this is Netflix’s ad-supported tier, which is now 35 per cent of UK Netflix homes.
Disney+ has an ad tier as well. According to reports, this has doubled in size YoY and now reaches around 30 per cent of UK Disney+ homes. The ESPN-Fox 2026 joint bundle was also marketed, giving subscribers more for their money.
What’s Changed?
The old streaming playbook was more focused on quantity. It felt a bit like a ‘more you offer, the more you charge’ type of approach.
However, things have changed. Consumers expect quantity, regardless of how much they pay. That’s why streaming service providers like Netflix and Disney+ have started to offer ad tiers.
By doing so, they can still provide their full product range to their subscribers; they’ll just need to watch ads. They can then pay a discounted price for watching the ads because the advertiser will pay the rest and some.
Adding to this, users have a variety. Netflix used to dominate the market. While they still do, it’s a lot less. Other platforms like Disney+ and more are also go-tos for many UK households’ streaming setups.
Now, it’s a race to the bottom. Who can provide the most at the cheapest rate? That’s why bundle discounts, ad-supported tiers, etc., are driving a lot of the customer acquisition we’re seeing in the industry.
Does it Benefit the Subscriber?
In most cases, yes. Ad-supported tiers, for example, give subscribers the option to get access to their premium content libraries for a fraction of the cost. The advertiser then pays for the rest of their subscription, essentially.
It works because subscribers are familiar with what they’re giving up. They know the trade-off; they’ll need to watch ads in order to get the lower price, and a lot of people accept it,
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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Premium, VOD
Tags: advertising, Disney, netflix
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