- Views to free streaming service U grew by 15%, average monthly active users by 23% and registrations by 18%
- UKTV’s channels achieved record viewing share, with network growth from 4.8% in 2024 to 4.97% last year (+ 3%)
- U&alibi, U&Dave, U&YESTERDAY, U&DRAMA, and U&eden all grew
- Share of Commercial Impacts also hit a record high of 9.08%
- Bergerac was the highest rating show on the network, watched by 2.4 million viewers
London, Thursday 15 January 2026: UKTV achieved its best performance on record in 2025, growing VOD viewing, linear share and its Share of Commercial Impacts (SOCI – a measure of UKTV’s share of the commercial TV audience).
Following exceptional growth in 2024, the BBC Studios-owned broadcaster saw direct-to-consumer views to its free streaming service U grow by 15%. U also enjoyed a 23% uplift in average monthly active users and an 18% increase in registrations.
In linear, UKTV saw its network share grow from 4.8% in 2024 to 4.97% last year (+3%), representing UKTV’s biggest share to date for its seven linear channels. In addition, UKTV’s Share of Commercial Impacts (SOCI) skyrocketed, reaching a record-breaking 9.08%, up from 8.79% the previous year.
Marcus Arthur, CEO, UKTV said, “Record-breaking viewing across both streaming and linear is clear evidence that our strategy is working. By investing decisively in digital while strengthening our linear offer, we’ve positioned the business for sustainable success. Our focused choices in content, product and marketing have enabled us to accelerate our growth trajectory, even against a rapidly shifting media landscape and challenging macroeconomic conditions.
“Our U&Originals, premium acquisitions and the unrivalled depth of the BBC archive continue to power our services, making U and our channel portfolio essential destinations for audiences.
“As we enter 2026, everyone at UKTV is thrilled to see our new partnership with Channel 4 streaming realised with the launch of U on the platform, complementing our own standalone U service. We are looking forward to working with all our partners to champion the creative sector and deliver even more bold, entertaining and conversation-starting shows for viewers.”
U streaming service
The depth and breadth of U’s catalogue of programmes helped deliver strong growth last year, with drama proving the most popular genre. It was responsible for the top five performing shows on the service (Bergerac, Outrageous, The Marlow Murder Club, The Chelsea Detective and Whitstable Pearl), with Bergerac powering U to its best day ever on 2 March.
Andrea Amey, Chief Digital Officer, UKTV said, “2025 marked the first full year of UKTV’s transformation under our new masterbrand, U - and the results speak for themselves. Our streaming service has benefited enormously from a bold, cohesive brand identity that unites the platform with our family of TV channels.
“We’ve delivered strong growth in viewing, active users and registrations, fuelled by a compelling content offer, enhanced functionality, improved personalisation and broader availability. The recent rollout of the U app on Sky Q and Virgin TV V6 boxes has further expanded our reach and strengthened our position in an increasingly competitive market.”
Content and Channels
UKTV’s linear channels enjoyed success in 2025, with U&alibi (+13%), U&Dave (+5%), U&YESTERDAY (+4%) and U&DRAMA (+2%) all growing share, along with U&eden (+76%), which marked its first full year free to air. Channel share growth was driven by a strong slate of content across pay and free channels with U&Originals shows topping the ratings charts on UKTV’s six commissioning channels – Bergerac (U&DRAMA), Bookish (U&alibi), Guy Martin: Proper Jobs (U&Dave), Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake (U&W), Fawlty Towers: The Play (U&GOLD) and Bangers & Cash (U&YESTERDAY).
Bergerac was watched by 2.4 million viewers across U and U&DRAMA, making it the highest rating show on the network last year, followed by The Chelsea Detective, The Marlow Murder Club, Bookish and Whitstable Pearl.
Steve North, Chief Content Officer, UKTV, commented, “The strength and breadth of our content slate continues to power both UKTV’s linear channels and our U streaming service to exceptional performance.
“Our drama originations - including Bergerac, The Marlow Murder Club and Mark Gatiss’ outstanding Bookish - have clearly resonated with audiences, and I’m delighted that all three will return later this year. We’ve also seen strong success through close collaboration with our partners, acquiring series that truly connect with viewers such as The Chelsea Detective, Whitstable Pearl and Signora Volpe.
“As we look ahead, we will build on this momentum by continuing to invest strategically across a range of genres. That includes a renewed commitment to comedy entertainment and an expansion of our true crime offering. These choices reflect our ambition to deliver even more compelling, high-quality programming that keeps audiences engaged and returning for more.”
Social Media & YouTube
2025 marked UKTV’s strongest year to date across social media, driven by a renewed focus on its fandom-led strategy. The social team delivered 758 million social video views (+29% year-on-year), which brought tangible commercial impact by driving close to 400,000 visitors to U, with social video performance and activity directly correlating with uplifts in U D2C viewing.
In August 2025, UKTV’s social team evolved its YouTube strategy, shifting from channel-led brands to genre-based destinations designed for a YouTube-first audience and built around audience passions.
As part of this transformation, YouTube channels U&YESTERDAY and U&Dave were relaunched as U&Transport and U&Laughs respectively, alongside a refresh of the core U channel. The team also launched its first single-IP channel, U&Bangers & Cash, dedicated to the hit factual series. Collectively, this new channel portfolio delivered 4.1M hours of watch time (+243%).
Looking ahead, UKTV will continue to evolve its social media strategy, building on the success of its new YouTube portfolio and continuing to experiment with full episode drops, enabling UKTV’s shows to find new audiences.
Coming up in 2026
Joining Bergerac, The Marlow Murder Club and Bookish this year, is a plethora of new and returning shows, including Joe & David’s Magical Sitcom Tour featuring Joe Wilkinson and David Earl exploring their favourite sitcoms together, feature-length retrospective Open All Hours: Inside Out, new episodes of loveable duo Will & Ralf Should Know Better, and every Only Fools & Horses fan’s dream, a two-part retrospective featuring Sir David Jason and key cast reminiscing about the show and unearthing never seen before footage in Only Fools & Horses: The Lost Archive.
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Stats
All SOCI Data is BARB Adults 16+, 1 Jan - 31 Dec 2025.
All Share data is BARB Adults 16+,1 Jan - 31 Dec 2025.
Top 10 programme list for the network – Top Programme lists are 4+, 28 day (TV and Online Pre-Broadcast and 1-28 Day), top performing episode (ran 09.01.25 – final days of December not fully consolidated).
Programme stats are Total Consumption series average - This encompasses the overnight, PVR, VOD (D2C and paid) and all same week repeats, within 28 days of transmission within BARB (inclusive of any preview windowing via box-set drops).
For further information please contact:
Kerry Goode, Director of Communications, UKTV –
Rebecca Ferris, Corporate Communications Manager, UKTV –
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love.
Its leading brands – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY, U&GOLD, U&alibi and U&eden – span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to UK viewers through free streaming service U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview, Freesat and Freely; and to Irish viewers through Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. Channel & content availability varies by platform.
UKTV’s content is also available to UK viewers via dedicated FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV and Virgin Media.
UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity, and we are committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers. UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.