Barb Q1 2026 SVOD Data
Barb’s Q1 2026 Establishment Survey shows 20.8 million UK homes (70.3%) now have access to at least one subscription video‑on‑demand (SVOD) service, a slight rise from the previous quarter. Netflix remains the leader with 18.1 million homes, and its ad‑supported tier grew to 7.2 million homes (40% of Netflix users). Amazon Prime Video’s ad tier now covers 88% of its 13.7 million users, while Disney+ ad tier expanded to 2.8 million homes, up 8.7% quarter‑on‑quarter. All major platforms posted modest QoQ changes, indicating a maturing market.
VideoWeek Justin Sampson Interview
VideoWeek’s podcast featured an exit interview with Justin Sampson, the outgoing chief executive of Barb, where he reflected on his three‑year tenure and the company’s strategic milestones. Sampson discussed the 35% revenue surge, the $150 million acquisition of Streamlytics, and the...
Signals in the Noise 2
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) released a new whitepaper, Signals in the Noise 2: Doing the Right Things, co‑authored by Work Research Partner Tony Regan and Barb CEO Justin Sampson. The paper warns that advertisers and agencies are increasingly dependent...
What People Watch: Reach
Barb’s latest data shows YouTube’s monthly reach can appear larger than the BBC depending on the definition used. Using the industry‑standard 3‑minute threshold, YouTube topped the BBC on TV sets in Q4 2025, but the BBC reclaimed the lead when the...
Barb Appoints Caroline Baxter as CEO
Barb, the UK’s joint‑industry audience measurement body, announced Caroline Baxter as its new chief executive. Baxter, who joined Barb in 2022 and was promoted to COO in 2024, will steer the firm through a new wave of innovation for linear,...
Pre-Campaign Planning in Barb Ads Hub
Barb has added pre‑campaign planning to Barb Ads Hub, turning it into a single platform for UK advertising buyers and sellers to forecast and evaluate campaigns across linear and VOD services. The new planner, previously called Advanced Campaign Hub, merges...
Unfiltered Media Podcast
Barb CEO Justin Sampson appeared on the Unfiltered Media podcast on 25 February 2026 to examine mounting pressures on traditional media measurement currencies. He explained how fragmented consumption across streaming, social and gaming platforms is eroding legacy TV‑rating models. Sampson...
What People Watched in 2025
Barb released its 2025 viewing habits report, detailing how UK audiences consumed TV across live, on‑demand and streaming platforms. Live viewing still represented 45% of TV‑set activity in December, while on‑demand accounted for 38% of total viewing. Freeview, Sky and...
VideoWeek Article
Barb contributed to VideoWeek’s February 2026 piece outlining Europe’s TV Joint‑Innovation Centers (JICs) focus areas. The report highlights a surge in cross‑channel collaboration, new data partnership models, and advanced analytics integration across broadcasters. JICs are deploying AI‑driven tools and cloud...