The number of Britons subscribing to streaming services increased by 34 per cent in 2020, with most spending 40 per cent of their waking hours watching TV at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Netflix, Amazon and Disney+, will have a combined 32.4 million UK subscribers by the end of this year, according to media analyst Ampere, with eight million new subscribers signing up this year to tune into shows including The Queen’s Gambit and The Crown.
This is now double the number signed up to traditional pay-TV subscriptions including Virgin Media, Sky and BT – who together have lost about 400,000 customers this year.
It’s also twice as many new sign-ups as 2019, as people stuck inside turn to television for comfort and entertainment.
Netflix, Amazon and Disney+, will have a combined 32.4 million by the end of this year, according to media analyst Ampere with eight million new subscribers signing up this year to tune into shows including The Queen’s Gambit and The Crown. Anya-Taylor Joy is pictured in The Queen’s Gambit
‘TV has been a pandemic winner and the growth in subscribers shows how important streaming services have now become in the household entertainment mix,’ said Richard Broughton, media analyst at Ampere, told The Guardian.
‘Their low monthly cost means that even as many households impacted economically looked to tighten budgets, streaming services flourished.’
Netflix, that has 12.8 million subscribers in the UK, is the most popular, with original hits including original series Tiger King, The Irishman and Stranger Things.
Disney+, which launched on the first day of lockdown in Spring, has seen 3.5million Britons sign up – with popularity driven by exclusives including hit Broadway musical Hamilton and Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, making it the third most popular streaming site ahead of Sky’s Now TV.
Netflix, that has 12.8 million subscribers in the UK, is the most popular, with original hits including original series Tiger King, The Irishman and Stranger Things and The Crown (Samuel West and Olivia Colman are pictured in The Crown)
Amazon, which now shows Premier League football alongside original content, has an estimated 11.4 million users.
Around 60 per cent of steamers have two or more subscriptions, with one in ten paying for access to four separate services., Ampere data estimates.
In January 2018, there were more traditional TV subscribers than streaming customers, with the growth of streaming rapidly taking over pay-TV.
Among Netflix latest offerings is Brigerton, which left fans swooning after they tuned into the very sexy show which debuted on Christmas Day.
Disney+, which launched on the first day of lockdown in Spring, has seen 3.5million Britons sign up – with popularity driven by exclusives including hit Broadway musical Hamilton and Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian (pictured is baby Yoda in the series), making it the third most popular streaming site ahead of Sky’s Now TV.
Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix debut has set pulses racing with a mixture of sultry moments, scandal and shock.
And while some loved the series – set in Regency London – others were left with awkward viewing after tuning in to watch with their parents thinking they were expecting a family friendly festive show.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime seen some of Hollywood’s top actors sign up for roles, including Al Pacino, who starred in Hunters – about a group of Nazi-hunters in 1970s New York. While Cara Delevingne and Orlando Bloom star in fantasy series Carnival Row.
Film buffs blast Amazon Prime for ‘banning’ award-winning prison drama The Prince which features homoerotic sex scenes and graphic violence – despite the DVD being available to buy on AmazonOX TITLE
By Latoya Gayle for MailOnline
Amazon Prime has been blasted by social media users after it emerged the award-winning Chilean film The Prince will not be available to watch on the streaming service because it’s been ‘banned’.
The prison drama about a man named Jamie who is sent to prison following the death of his best friend, ‘The Gypsy’, has been widely acclaimed since its release in 2019 and won the Queer Lion Award at Venice Film Festival.
Social media users have blasted Amazon Prime UK for banning award-winning prison drama The Prince (Pictured: actors Gaston Pauls (Che Pibe), Alfredo Castro (El Potro) and Juan Carlos Maidonado, aka Jamie, The Prince)
Set in the 1970s and based on a novel, it contains nudity, violence and homoerotic sex scenes.
Peccadillo Pictures, which is responsible for distributing the movie, said it was informed by Amazon Prime UK that the film is on its banned list because it violates its ‘Content Policy Guidelines’ due to its ‘Offensive Content’, reports Deadline.
Film fanatics have taken to Instagram to speculate the cause of the ban, with several arguing there are other films on the streaming service that feature equally graphic violence and real sex scenes.
Sebastian Munoz’s film is described as ‘a powerful and uncompromising look at life in a men’s prison set amidst the political upheaval of Allende’s Chile during the 1970s’.
Tom Abell of Peccadillo Pictures revealed the company has been trying to overturn Amazon Prime UK’s decision to ban the film (pictured: a passionate scene from the flick)
The BBFC has given the film an 18 certificate without cuts and the DVD is currently still available to purchase on Amazon’s website
Tom Abell, who is managing director at Peccadillo Pictures, revealed the company is unsure of the reasons behind Amazon’s decision. The platform’s guidelines contain rules against ‘sexually explicit’ and ‘violent or graphic content’.
He said: ‘We are obviously very concerned and perplexed by Amazon’s ruling. We have been trying to overturn their decision without avail and cannot understand why, when we have overwhelming support from all other platforms, they have taken this stance.
‘We cannot deny that The Prince has some explosive and bold scenes but this is what makes it stand out and is such an enjoyable and admired film.
‘It certainly contains nothing that hasn’t been seen before in a prison drama and pales in comparison to scenes in many of Amazons own productions. We are at something of a loss to explain the situation.’
The Chilean film follows ‘The Prince’ who goes to prison in the 1970s, after the death of his best friend ‘The Gypsy’ (pictured: a shower scene from the prison)
The controversial film is available to stream on Apple TV, BFI Player, Google Play and Vimeo On-Demand
Rated an 18, the film sees Jamie catch the eye of ‘The Stud’, an older, respected man who soon stakes his claim on him.
Under the protection of ‘The Stud’, Jamie is dubbed ‘The Prince’, sparking animosity among other inmates.
He then finds himself drawn to another prisoner and learns that his protection comes at a price.
Despite containing ‘explicit and dark content’, The Prince remains available to purchase uncut on Amazon as well as on streaming services Apple TV, BFI Player, Google Play and Vimeo On-Demand.
Many social media users have admitted the ruling has made them want to watch the film more
Mail Online has contacted Amazon Prime for comment.
A number of social media users have blasted the streaming service for banning the film, while others admit the ruling makes them want to watch it even more.
One person wrote: ‘But the series Soltos em Floripa has real sex scenes and it is still on the catalogue. Why Amazon?’
‘It’s got some graphic scenes. But no more than many other films that have been critically acclaimed and gotten a full release. Weird,’ another remarked.
A third added: ‘What a bunch of nonsense. There is graphic sexual violence but it’s not gratuitous and it is essential to the plot.’
