January 20, 2025
Europe’s video entertainment landscape is evolving rapidly, with continued growth across the region and streaming services seeing strong gains in key markets.
New data from Futuresource Consulting found that Spain, Italy and Poland generated streaming video revenue growth of 16%, 14%, and 12%, respectively.
“We’re seeing a surge in streaming revenues in Spain and Italy,” Rachel Mitchell, research analyst at Futuresource, said in a statement. “There’s been an increase in investment in local content, some strategic price adjustments, and plenty of action in the ad-supported subscription tiers from major platforms like Netflix and Disney+.”
Through to 2028, the London-based research firm said streaming in the aforementioned countries would be measured, rising by just 3% annually, with consumers content on having around 2.1 services per household, sitting not far behind Italy at 2.2, and Spain at 2.4. Stacking of multiple services, is static in Poland, as new consumers enter the subscription sector, taking a slightly more cautious approach to the number of services they take.
For Spain and Italy, after a period of strong post-pandemic box office growth, 2024 proved challenging for transactional video, particularly in regions where retail distribution remains static. Yet, for Poland, there was a significant boost from the launch of Amazon’s transactional store, which spurred double-digit growth in electronic sellthrough (EST) and transactional VOD.
Futuresource expects this trend to persist over the coming years, with the outlook for 2025 is far more optimistic for all markets, with an improved slate of film releases expected to reinvigorate both theatrical and digital transactional markets.
The legacy premium television market — despite the rise of streaming — remains a cornerstone of consumer entertainment spend, according to analyst Anastasia Budash.
“This is particularly pronounced in Poland, where household penetration is at 69%, generating 60% of the total market revenue in 2024, supported by a high TV viewing culture, as well as a raft of market strategies employed to limit or redirect cord-cutting,” Budash said.
In Spain and Italy, the sector also commands a significant share, at 47% and 44% respectively. Stability in this segment is largely due to bundled subscription deals, which now commonly integrate SVOD services into pay-TV packages.
“Europe’s entertainment market is increasingly fragmented, with different countries and sub-regions moving at their own pace,” Budash said. “Yet there are many underlying similarities as well. By understanding these interlocking patterns, shifts and nuances, savvy industry players are able to capitalize on new opportunities.”
Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!
The Streaming Wars is intentionally ad-free
We don’t run display ads. Not because we can’t, but because we don’t believe in them.
They interrupt the reading experience. They cheapen the work. And they burn advertisers’ money on impressions nobody actually wants.
So we chose a different model.
We say the things people in this industry are already thinking but don’t say out loud. We connect the dots beyond the headline and focus on explaining why things matter to the people working in this business.
If you believe industry coverage can exist without clutter and interruption, you can support it here → SUPPORT TSW.
Support is optional. But it directly funds research and continued coverage — and helps prove this model can work.
Support TSW →
