Friends Is Officially The Most Streamed TV Show In The UK

Better luck next time, Stranger Things.

Though Ross and Rachel may (or may not have been) on a break, one thing’s for certain: the UK’s love for Friends has never waned. Ever since the noughties sitcom hit Netflix, it’s easier than ever to just fall down a rabbit hole on the weekend and stream hours of the gang’s antics - and well, a new survey has noticed. According to its results, Friends is actually the most streamed show in the UK - beating other in demand Netflix series like Stranger Things and The Crown.

Now, Netflix famously never releases its streaming data but Ofcom stepped in, did the groundwork and released a Media Nations Report. They surveyed 2,500 viewers about their viewing habits on services including Netflix, Amazon and NOW TV, ranking the most watched shows accordingly.

It seems like the newer kids on the block still have a lot to learn from Friends, as fourth fifths of those queried (1985 people) said they had streamed the show on Netflix. In contrast, the next most popular show Amazon's The Grand Tour captured just under half of the audience with 911. Clearly, people can’t get enough of the American series and to be honest after reading those stats, it’s probably prime for that Friends reunion movie people keep hinting at. I mean, we already know what Monica's apartment from Friends would look like now - we might as well keep the ball rolling.

A few Netflix originals managed to work their way onto the chart, with The Crown and Stranger Things neck and neck in third and fourth place respectively. It seems we’re not the only ones who have fallen for Cillian Murphy’s baby blues though as Peaky Blinders slid comfortably into fifth place. Some of our personal favourites, Brooklyn Nine Nine (which thankfully has been renewed) and The Good Place, also snapped up spots in the top ten.

The full ranking of shows is below, if you’re keen to see if your favourite made the cut:

Most streamed TV shows in the UK

1. Friends

2. The Grand Tour

3. The Crown

4. Stranger Things

5. Peaky Blinders

6. Black Mirror

7. The Big Bang Theory

8. Brooklyn Nine Nine

9. The Good Place

10. Vikings

the crown season two review — The Crown. Credit: Netflix

11. Lucifer

12. Altered Carbon

13. Orange is the New Black

14. Designated Survivor

15. Grey’s Anatomy

16. Breaking Bad

17. Homeland

18. Paw Patrol

19. Riverdale

20. Peppa Pig

As you can see above, shows that are either on Netflix or are bonafide Netflix originals tended to dominate the chart and their global takeover certainly doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. It’ll be interesting though to see what happens early next year when Disney releases its own competitor streaming service Disney Life.

Just imagine: every single Disney animated film, Marvel feature and Star Wars film ever all in one place. We’re saving up our annual leave for the binge fest to end all binge fests once it drops.

Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband.