Ireland tops EU for paid streaming subscriptions

David Forsythe

Ireland has the highest share of internet users paying for film, television series or sports streaming services in the European Union, new figures show.

Almost two-thirds of Irish internet users, 63.9 per cent, had a paid subscription to at least one such service in 2025, according to Eurostat. That put Ireland narrowly ahead of Denmark, where the figure was 61.1 per cent, and the Netherlands, on 59.2 per cent.

The EU average was 32.7 per cent, meaning Irish internet users were almost twice as likely as the EU average to pay for a film, series or sports streaming subscription.

The figures cover internet users aged between 16 and 74 who had used the internet in the three months before the survey.

At the other end of the scale, just 9.3 per cent of internet users in Bulgaria paid for this type of subscription. Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania also recorded some of the lowest take-up rates.

Film, series and sports services were the most popular form of paid online subscription across the EU.

Some 23 per cent of internet users paid for music streaming, while 7.2 per cent subscribed to online news sites, newspapers or magazines. A further 6.1 per cent had a gaming streaming subscription.

The Eurostat figures come as separate research has suggested Irish adults are spending almost €2bn a year on streaming services.

A survey of 1,000 employees by Censuswide for broadband provider Pure Telecom found that 66 per cent of adults in Ireland paid for at least one streaming service. Among those who subscribed, average monthly spending was €41.93.

Seven in 10 subscribers said they had cancelled at least one service in the previous year, with rising prices the most common reason.

Western European subscribers have faced the largest average price rises worldwide over the past three years, according to Ampere Analysis. The research found average monthly subscription costs had increased by €1.59 in the region.