Brits spend £5bn to avoid ads on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Spotify
Brits are spending a staggering £5bn a year just to avoid ads on leading streaming services, according to a new report.
In a bid to keep binge-watching and playlist-streaming interruption-free, a new Finder report found that over 31m UK adults now pay for premium, ad free subscriptions across Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, and Spotify.
The monthly national spend comes to £439m – or around £3m per minute of advertising skipped.
Netflix topped the charts as the most popular premium upgrade, with nearly two in five Brits, or 39 per cent, opting to pay £7 extra a month to dodge ads – a collective spend of £150m every month.
Based on average watch time, customers are effectively spending £1m per minute of ads skipped on Netflix alone.
Spotify premium followed close behind, with 10.6m UK subscribers paying £11.99 a month for an ad-free experience, totalling £127.7m monthly, which is £1.1m per ad-free minute.
Disney+ and Amazon Prime also rake in millions from users upgrading to avoid interruptions.
Disney+ subscribers pay an additional £4 monthly, while Amazon Prime’s £2.99 ad-free add-on draws in over £40m from 13.5m users.
The average cost of avoiding ads across all four services is now £26 per month.
Subscriptions to Netflix and rivals ‘really add up’
“Streaming subscriptions can really add up, especially when you’re paying extra for premium versions across multiple platforms”, said Louise Bastock, personal finance expert at Finder.
“A quick subscription spring clean could leave you with more money in your pocket – and maybe a few fewer hours lost to TV.”
Still, rising prices and cost-conscious consumers are nudging some users toward ad-supported tiers.
Netflix saw a 24 per cent jump in UK households on its ad plan between September and December 2024. Disney plus followed suit, with a 25 per cent increase.
More changes could also be coming. Last week, Netflix confirmed plans to roll out interactive, AI-generated ads by 2026 – showing a shift in how ads are delivered, even to its premium user base.
Meanwhile, rising costs across the board remain a looming threat, with Netflix, Amazon, and Disney plus all hiking UK prices in the past year.