LADbible Group survey finds UK viewers ‘overwhelmed by choice’ on streaming

A survey commissioned by LADbible Group has found that over half of UK adults are sharing their streaming service login details and are feeling overwhelmed by the number of streaming services.

Anna-Lee Bridgstock

The LADbible Group TV Report reveals viewing trends ahead of the Edinburgh TV Festival, which kicks off in the Scottish capital tomorrow, having not been held in-person since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The survey reveals 56% of 18- to 44-year-olds in the UK – around 11.8 million people – currently use someone else’s login details to access a streaming service.

That figure rose to more than 65% of Gen Z viewers (18- to 24-year-olds) surveyed who admitted they use someone else’s streaming service login details, making them the generation most likely to do so.

The survey also highlights the amount of choice when it comes to streaming, with 57% of 35- to 44-year-olds feeling overwhelmed by the number of services and younger viewers also feeling the same: 42% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 55% of 24- to 34-year-olds.

The amount of content available to view is also eliciting a similar reaction, with 44% of 18- to 24-year-olds overwhelmed by the amount of TV content available to view. The survey also reports that the average UK adult spends over four days a year searching for what to watch.

Anna-Lee Bridgstock, director of data, intelligence and planning at LADbible Group, said: “Our survey produced a fascinating and sometimes surprising mix of results. We found reports that cite the end of young people’s interest in watching TV content to be exaggerated. There is a huge appetite for content but the sheer amount of TV shows and number of services to watch them on is leading to a huge amount of time endlessly searching for what to watch.

“The cost-of-living crisis also poses a huge challenge for subscription services in convincing viewers to subscribe to paid-for services and password sharing has become commonplace.”