Sports has always played a big part in the culture of England, and when it comes to football, it runs in their bloodstream. They are passionate about it; they love it and crave it. Working on that passion, Netflix and Disney+ pull in some large numbers in the UK.
In terms of 2023’s performance, although the industry went through the routine increase in the number of subscribers, there hasn’t been anything spectacular from both parties. But October turned out to be their lucky number 10, as both platforms pulled their highest audience reach in the entire year.
And you might ask, what came out as the biggest difference-maker?
Both platforms started streaming two documentaries about two personas very much related to English football heritage.
Netflix is streaming ‘Beckham,’ a legend of the game for England and Manchester United. In terms of popularity, very few come near him.
Netflix managed to register a reach of 43M, which is indeed astounding in the UK market. The last time they came near this stat was in December last year with 44.7M. Regarding the December stats, it was also registered during the holidays, making the October numbers more interesting.
Also, as the documentary started to stream on 4th October, it marked Netflix’s biggest audience of the year, launching with 3.8M viewers.
On Disney’s side, they are also streaming “Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha” since mid-October, and it managed to pull big numbers since. Again, a series about the wife of Wayne Rooney grabbed the attention of the masses.
Disney pulled off a reach of 27.37M, which is the highest ever since October 2022.
Now, if you think OTT platforms should slow down regarding their sports content, this report exactly proves that they aren’t even near when it comes to stopping with their sports venture. As more and more platforms dive into live sports, the end is nowhere to be seen.
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