Data: Online Video Subscriptions Reached 2.2bn in 2025

Why It Matters

The crossover of revenue dominance signals a structural shift toward streaming, forcing traditional pay‑TV operators to rethink pricing and content strategies. Investors and advertisers must adjust to a market where ad‑tier growth is temporary and premium pricing will drive future profitability.

Key Takeaways

• Online video subscriptions reached 2.24 billion in 2025.
• Growth slowed to single‑digit forecast for 2026.
• Ad‑supported tiers drove most of the subscriber surge.
• Online video revenue topped $176 billion, surpassing pay‑TV.
• Premium pricing expected to boost margins as growth eases.

Pulse Analysis

The 2025 Omdia data underscores a decisive pivot in global TV consumption, with streaming now accounting for 68.4% of all subscriptions. The surge was propelled by low‑cost, ad‑supported tiers introduced by telcos and traditional broadcasters, attracting price‑sensitive viewers and delivering the strongest annual subscriber growth since 2021. While these tiers expanded the user base, the modest 13.5% revenue rise versus a 17.6% subscriber increase highlights the trade‑off between volume and average revenue per user.

Revenue dynamics further illustrate the market’s transformation. Online video’s $176 billion haul eclipsed pay‑TV’s $170 billion for the first time, despite the latter’s long‑standing dominance. This reversal reflects not only the appeal of flexible streaming packages but also the erosion of linear TV’s premium pricing power. Operators are now leveraging premium, ad‑free plans to extract higher margins from an increasingly saturated subscriber pool, a strategy that promises stronger profitability even as overall growth tapers.

Looking ahead to 2026, Omdia projects a modest 5.6% subscription increase, signaling a mature market approaching saturation. The temporary boost from ad‑tier pricing is expected to wane, leaving price hikes on premium tiers as the primary growth lever. Stakeholders—from content creators to advertisers—must adapt to a landscape where audience acquisition is less about expanding numbers and more about deepening monetization per user, reshaping investment theses across the media ecosystem.