The inclusion of live sports on streaming platforms has contributed further to the increase in subscriptions. The UK\u2019s internet-based streaming, also known as the over-the-top market, is now the third largest globally by revenue, behind only the United States and China.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the difficult macroeconomic environment, the market has continued to flourish,\u201d Ben Bird, the entertainment and media sector leader at PwC UK, said. \u201cOperators are leveraging their content rights and original productions to boost take-up, leaving consumers needing to subscribe to multiple services or to rotate platforms to access the content they desire, such as sports streaming, with English Premier League football spread across three different streaming platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The frothy period drama Bridgerton helped Netflix to add eight millions subscribers<\/p>\n
LIAM DANIEL\/NETFLIX<\/p>\n
Last month Netflix added eight million subscribers, driven by successful programmes such as Bridgerton and Baby Reindeer. The company reported a 17 per cent year-on-year revenue increase in the second quarter.<\/p>\n
Swift\u2019s 15-show UK leg of the Eras Tour boosted live music ticket sales this year after a slow recovery from the pandemic. By 2028 ticket sales revenue is expected to rise to \u00a31.9 billion, up from \u00a31.75 billion this year, and to account for 31 per cent of total music, radio and podcast revenue.<\/p>\n
\u2022 What to watch now on Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video and beyond<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n In cinemas, blockbuster releases such as Barbie and Oppenheimer drove box-office revenue. Globally, the two films, nicknamed \u201cBarbenheimer\u201d, grossed a total of $2.4 billion. With upcoming releases such as another Avatar sequel, PwC has forecast that the market will surpass pre-Covid levels<\/a> by 2027.<\/p>\n The global popularity of gaming continues to drive rising revenues, with Britain maintaining its winning streak in Europe. Total video games and esports revenue in the UK is forecast to grow from \u00a37.4 billion this year to \u00a38.4 billion in 2028.<\/p>\n Social and casual gaming generates more than half of the country\u2019s total video games revenue and, with Nintendo likely to release the next generation of its Switch console next year, this is expected to continue.<\/p>\n In recent years gaming companies have shifted their focus to more collaborative and social gameplay to appeal to younger demographics. In February Disney and Epic Games announced a deal<\/a> to work on an ecosystem that would integrate the video game Fortnite and the worlds of Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.<\/p>\n Global video games revenue, which includes esports, reached $227.6 billion last year, up 3.6 per cent year-on-year. By 2028 gaming will account for 9 per cent of the entertainment and media industry, PwC said.<\/p>\n Across the eleven sectors of Britain\u2019s entertainment and media market, only two are expected to decline by 2028 compared with this year\u2019s figures: traditional television and the newspaper, consumer magazine and books sector.<\/p>\n