Youth or Rebels? Netflix neck-and-neck with the BBC as British viewers go | Netflix

Netflix is ​​neck-and-neck with the BBC as the default service Britons turn to when they turn on their TV, according to research.

Home of Adolescence and KPop Demon Hunters is now the first viewing spot for 26% of viewers, Ofcom found. The national broadcaster is close to breaking even, due to reaching 25% of the audience.

Although the growth of streaming platforms has slowed in the UK, Netflix in particular is still making an impact with audiences.

Ofcom’s annual report on Media Nations ranked the popular Kpop film Demon Hunters as a crime drama Youth were the most watched in the UK in 2025, while the former reached more than 24 million listeners; the last 16 million. The Netflix app comes with many smart TVs or streaming devices but users still need to pay to subscribe to watch.

However, Ofcom said viewing figures for early 2026 showed the BBC was struggling, with the latest series of Rebels and Tom Hiddleston’s return to The Night Manager is surpassing ratings. That trend has continued into the summer because of BBC and ITV’s World Cup coverage.

Kate Davies, head of Strategy and Research at Ofcom, said traditional broadcasters were showing “boldness” through their TV programming.

A description of the competition for space between the interests of BBCSky, Netflix and YouTube with Google as “dangerous”, added: “In order to succeed and survive in today’s environment, it is more important than ever that companies continue to understand the changing audience and adapt their strategies to meet people where they are.”

Citing data from audience measurement group Barb, Ofcom said the BBC was ahead of other platforms in terms of video viewing shares, accounting for 18% of the total in 2025, followed by YouTube on 15%, ITV on 11% and Netflix on 9%.

YouTube is also becoming the way to watch TV, with its number of views on social media doubling over the past four years. There were also signs of a decline among younger audiences, with TV viewing among 16 to 24 year olds and 4 to 15 year olds down 17% each, although Ofcom said this was due to the absence of major sporting events in 2025, compared to the rise of the Paris Olympics and Euro 2024.

But other ways to watch movies have not benefited from the decline in youth viewership numbers for broadcasters. Ofcom said that young people continue to watch TV and films at a slower rate, watching 11 minutes of broadcasts, advertising and on-demand services at home last year, due to the attraction of other channels such as sports and games.

Although Netflix, Amazon, Disney + and Apple are shooting big series in the UK in recent years, from Sex Education to Masters of the Air to Rivals, public service broadcasters led by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 provided more than 30,000 hours of content from the UK last year, not including repeats.