34% growth over the year fueled by original drama hits and compelling boxsets
London, UK — 7 January 2026 5 has officially cemented itself as the fastest‑growing streaming service among UK public service broadcasters for the second year in a row. In 2025, the platform surged by 34% in Barb Total Viewing Minutes, outpacing BBC iPlayer (+7%), ITVX (+24%), and 4 Streaming (+11%). Not bad for a streamer that only unified its brand last March.
The growth was powered by a strong slate of original drama and a deep bench of binge‑worthy boxsets — a strategy that’s clearly paying off.
What Viewers Watched Most in 2025
The All Creatures Great and Small collection topped the scripted charts, joined by original dramas The Feud, The Game, Cooper & Fry, The Forsytes, and The Rumour. Meanwhile, Home and Away, now a streaming‑first title, became one of the platform’s best performers of the year.
Top‑performing boxsets included:
- The Good Wife
- Blue Bloods
- Person of Interest
- Blindspot
- The Following
- Wentworth Prison
The platform’s momentum follows the decision to unite 5’s linear, digital, and streaming services under one brand — a move that built on record 2024 growth and helped secure 5 the title of Channel of the Year at the 2025 Edinburgh TV Festival.
What the Team Is Saying
Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer, 5: “It’s testament to the strength of our programming, in particular our ambitious slate of original dramas, that 5 streaming has grown faster than any of our competitors for the second year in a row.”
Lee Sears, President International Ad Sales, Paramount: “We have huge ambitions to continue increasing the reach and scale of 5 — giving both our viewers and our advertising partners more opportunities to engage with our content across platforms.”
A Record‑Breaking Christmas for 5 Streaming
The festive period delivered 5’s best Christmas ever, with total viewing hours up 15% year‑on‑year across the holiday fortnight.
Breakdown of the festive uplift:
- Christmas Eve: +25%
- Christmas Day: +43%
- Boxing Day: +31%
- New Year’s Eve: +11%
- New Year’s Day: +8%
These are the platform’s best‑ever performances for both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Driving the festive boom were:
- The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas special (from 23 Dec)
- All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special (from 24 Dec)
- Catch‑up viewing of The Good Ship Murder (from 28 Dec)
- World’s Strongest Man across 31 Dec and 1 Jan
5 enters 2026 with serious momentum — and a streaming audience that’s growing faster than anyone else in the UK PSB landscape.