Netflix beats BBC One for three months as competition hots up Netflix is making inroads into the BBC's domination - as it was the most-watched TV service in the UK for three months last year.
For those three months, Netflix’s average audience reach stood at 43.2M, compared with BBC1’s 42.3M viewers buoyed in part by releases including hit dramas like Bridgerton, Baby Reindeer and The Gentleman.
However, viewing figures from BARB, the UK’s official ratings body, showed that Netflix’s audience reach overtook BBC1 in September, October, and November 2024.
The BBC were less impressed with the figures and responded by saying it was “meaningless” to compare the entirety of Netflix with a single channel and that its portfolio had double the number of viewers of the streamer.
The success has been described as the "unseating of Britain’s most popular channel" by one industry magazine and whilst it may not have been permanent, Deadline says it "represents a possible inflection point in the battle between traditional broadcasters and U.S. streaming giants".
