Netflix and counted: Streaming giant agrees for UK TV agency to measure audience
Viewers will finally be able to get a glimpse into how many people are watching Netflix, with the US streaming giant set to join external TV ratings agency Barb (Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board).
From November, viewing figures for the streaming giant will be reported by the organisation, which compiles audience measurement and TV ratings in the UK.
Netflix has always been more discreet about the number of people who tune in to big hitting shows like Sex Education and Squid Game, and the latest move means that audience figures can be compared alongside the likes of the BBC and Channel 4.
Barb’s preliminary numbers show that Netflix currently accounts for eight per cent of all TV viewing in the UK, making it larger than Channel 4, Channel 5, and Sky – but lagging behind the BBC and ITV.
Current UK TV audience share:
| BBC | 23.6% |
| ITV | 13.5% |
| NETFLIX | 8.2% |
| CHANNEL 4 | 7.1% |
| SKY | 6% |
| CHANNEL 5 | 5.1% |
Netflix is set to launch an ad-supported tier for its platform in the coming weeks as it tries to battle with falling subscribers amid cuts to consumer spending.
Co-chief executive Reed Hastings said: “Back in 2019, at the RTS conference in Cambridge, I welcomed the idea of Netflix audiences being measured independently.
“We’ve kept in touch with Barb since then and are pleased to make a commitment to its trusted measurement of how people watch television in the UK.”
The news comes just a couple of weeks after filings showed that Netflix raked in almost £1.4bn last year from its British subscribers.
The streaming titan said it amassed £1.38bn in revenue for the year ending 31 December 2021.
After previously including UK numbers in with its accounts in the Netherlands, this marks the first time the tech firm has disclosed its statistics for British subscribers separately.