Ad-funded SVOD triples weekly reach as smartphone viewing overtakes TV

Ad-funded subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime have almost tripled their weekly reach in the UK over the past year, opening up new opportunities for advertisers.

According to the IPA’s 2025 ‘Making Sense: The commercial media landscape’ report, published today (10 September), these services now reach 30% of adults each week, up from 11% in 2024 and 10% in 2023. Netflix leads with a 16% weekly reach, ahead of Amazon Prime (15%) and Disney+ (7%).

The report notes that the increase in reach coincides with Netflix raising the price of its ad-free subscription and Amazon Prime Video’s auto-enrolment of existing customers to the new ad-funded tier in January 2024.Almost 70% of UK households subscribe to a streaming service

Meanwhile, for the first time, smartphones have overtaken TV sets as the primary device for viewing curated commercial media, which refers to content-driven commercial media channels, such as SVOD and social media.

Adults now spend 35% of their viewing time on smartphones, compared with 34% on TV. Among 16-34s, half (50%) of viewing time is on smartphones, more than double the 22% spent on TV. For over-55s, TV remains dominant at 46%, though down from 50% a year earlier.

Simon Frazier, head of marketing and data innovation at the IPA believes those aged over 55 are the most “underutilised and exciting” audience segment.

“With rising digital adoption, especially in commercial online news and commercial streamed audio, this group offers untapped potential for growth,” he says.

Although there is still a generational divide in ad-funded SVOD reach, there is uptake among all age groups. Ad-funded SVOD now reaches more than a third of both 16–34s (36%) and 35–54s (36%), and over a fifth of those aged 55+ (21%). A year ago, reach stood at just 12%, 13% and 9% respectively.

Changing TV habits

While live and recorded TV continues to lose ground, its decline is being offset by growth in broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD), SVOD and other online formats.

Traditional live and recorded TV now reaches 73% of adults weekly in 2025, down 23% since 2015. It now sits level with social media as the UK’s third most-used medium, behind out-of-home (95%) and functional internet channels such as search and email (85%).

Yet, linear TV still ranks in two of the top five spots for reach. With Facebook (52%), YouTube (45%), ITV/STV (44%), Channel 4 (39%), and Instagram (39%), the top five media properties by weekly reach.

Overall, digital channels now account for almost two-thirds (63%) of adults’ commercial media time, up from 42% in 2015.

Time spent with curated commercial media has also risen year-on-year, averaging eight hours and 13 minutes a day across all adults. Among 16–34s, usage has reached a record eight hours and five minutes daily — higher than during lockdown.‘The audience is harder to find’: How brands’ AV strategies are evolving

The report also highlights shifting correlations in how different age groups consume media, suggesting generations are less aligned in how they use media.

The overlap in weekly reach of curated commercial media between 16-34s and over-55s has fallen from 60% in 2024 to 52% this year, though still higher than the 44% seen in 2015.

However, the correlation in how generations divide their time across channels has risen to 22% – the highest since 2020, but far below the 58% seen a decade ago.