EU digital subscription rates show significant geographic divide

New Eurostat data from 2025 reveals that approximately 32.7% of internet users in the European Union pay for streaming subscriptions for films, series, or live sports. The data highlights a significant geographic divide in digital consumption habits across the continent.

Ireland leads the EU with 63.9% of users paying for video and sports content, followed by Denmark at 61.1% and the Netherlands at 59.2%. Conversely, adoption rates are much lower in Eastern and Southern Europe. Bulgaria has the lowest rate at 9.3%, followed by Slovenia at 13.7%, Latvia at 16.7%, and Lithuania at 17.4%.

Beyond video streaming, music and podcast platforms like Spotify and YouTube Premium see a 23% subscription rate among EU users. Other digital services see much lower engagement: paid subscriptions for online news and magazines stand at 7.2%, while cloud gaming services like Xbox Game Pass are the least common at 6.1%.