Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Television industry in Europe - statistics & facts
While the TV set remains the main source of entertainment for many Europeans, the choice of platforms is changing. Linear TV still dominates the industry landscape, but over-the-top services are close behind when it comes to video content viewing on TVs. In general, revenues of the European TV and home video market have remained fairly stable, over the past few years, with pay TV holding the largest share. Also, the number of TV viewers in Europe continues to grow, with the user count expected to stay at roughly 660 million. However, the mounting competition from online streaming services is proof of changing viewing habits among European consumers and the need for future adjustments in the industry.
All in all, Europeans are not cutting out TVs from their entertainment repertoire. Watching TV on a TV set is still a popular daily pastime, albeit to varying degrees depending on the country. Despite broadcast being the first choice of content to view on the device, the future of the TV industry will undoubtedly rely heavily on online video providers.
Online TV is competing for the share of time spent
Europe’s TV landscape is gradually being transformed by the advance of video streaming solutions. Thanks to the ongoing adoption of connected TV (CTV), advancements in digital video delivery, and growing demand for individualized content, viewers in many European countries now opt for non-linear video streaming options. According to a recent survey, online TV is particularly popular in Denmark and Sweden, with 44 percent of respondents watching it every day. While there are distinct regional differences in the availability and usage of digital video content, there is a visible trend towards VOD content in Europe.Europeans still rely on public TV
Public or government-funded TV is highly popular throughout Europe. For example, in 2024, the BBC remained the UK’s leading TV broadcaster with an audience share of around 32 percent. Similarly, the audience of Rai channels in Italy stood at a little over a third. In Norway, viewership for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) even reached 42 percent that same year. During the past decade, European audience shares for public service TV have generally ranged between 30 and 40 percent, depending on the country.Pay TV is visibly declining
Pay TV is battling a global cord-cutting trend. Forecasts suggest that the number of pay TV subscribers in Western Europe will continue to decrease for the foreseeable future. In Germany and the United Kingdom, for instance, it is expected to decline by over one million between 2023 and 2029. In Eastern Europe, the total number of pay TV households is expected to drop by four million by that time. Additionally, while the number of digital pay TV subscribers will grow, analog cable will completely disappear from the market.All in all, Europeans are not cutting out TVs from their entertainment repertoire. Watching TV on a TV set is still a popular daily pastime, albeit to varying degrees depending on the country. Despite broadcast being the first choice of content to view on the device, the future of the TV industry will undoubtedly rely heavily on online video providers.
