Films, series & sports: top choice for paid subscriptions

Accessing diverse video content has never been easier, and subscribing to various paid streaming platforms is increasingly popular. Data show that nearly one in three (32.7%) internet users in the EU in 2025 had a paid subscription to a film, series, or sports streaming service, the largest share among the 4 subscription types.

Paying for a music streaming service was also popular, with 23.0% of internet users being paid subscribers. By comparison, only 7.2% had paid subscriptions for online news sites, newspapers, or magazines, and 6.1% subscribed to a gaming streaming service.

Which EU countries have the largest shares of stream subscribers? 

Among EU countries, Ireland and Denmark recorded the largest shares of internet users with paid subscriptions to a films, series or sports streaming service, with 63.9% and 61.1%, respectively. They were followed by the Netherlands, with 59.2%.

Conversely, only 9.3% of internet users in Bulgaria pay for this type of subscriptions. Slovenia (13.7%), Lat and Lithuania (17.4%) were also among the EU countries with the smallest shares of individuals subscribing to films, series or sports streaming services

For more information

• Statistics Explained article on culture statistics – use of ICT for cultural purposes
• Thematic section on culture
• Thematic section on digital economy and society
• Database on digital economy and society

Methodological note

• Data presented in this article comes from the EU survey on the use of ICT in households and by individuals. The article refers to internet users as all individuals in the EU aged 16 to 74 who used the internet 3 months before the ICT survey was carried out in their countries. 
• Shares do not add up to 100% as one internet user can subscribed to several types of paid streaming services.

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