Key insights:

  • Word of mouth is the top discovery channel for new TV shows among women (68%) and millennials (69%).
  • Gen Z and Millennials rely heavily on social media, with 56% and 57% respectively using it to find new TV shows.
  • Streaming platform suggestions play a bigger role for Gen X and Millennials (both at 53%) than for Gen Z (42%).

Finding a new TV show used to involve flicking through the TV guide and settling for whatever was on after the news. Today, discovery is far more social and often begins with a scroll through social media, or a recommendation quietly served by a streaming platform.

Research data from YouGov Profiles data looks at how British adults who use Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+ at least once a week find out about new TV shows.

Friends and family recommendation matter more among women

Across the board, personal recommendations lead, but women lean into them more. More than two-thirds of female streamers (68%) say they find new shows through friends, family or work colleagues, compared with 56% of men. Nearly half of men (48%) say they use viewing suggestions from streaming services, rising to 51% among women.

Social media is huge for discovery of new TV shows

Social media is now a mainstream discovery channel. Similar proportions of men (42%) and women (43%) say they find new TV shows through this. Trailers remain a steady presence, with similar appeal across genders (39% of men and 38% of women). Traditional advertising registers more among men (28%) than women (18%), while review websites trail behind especially among female viewers, where just 7% say they rely on them.

Gen Z stands out as the most socially driven group, with more than half (56%) discovering new TV shows via social media. While recommendations from friends and family still matter (60%), Gen Z is far less likely to rely on trailers (26%) than older viewers (43% Millennials, 44% Gen X).

Millennials sit at the center of everything. Seven in 10 rely on personal recommendations (69%), while over half turn to both social media (57%) and streaming platform suggestions (53%).

Gen X takes a more measured approach. Friends and family remain important (65%), but platform recommendations are influential (53%) too. Trailers also play a bigger role here (44%).

Among Baby Boomers, fewer than one in five (19%) discover new shows via social media, and just 45% rely on recommendations from people they know. Instead, this group leans more on peer recommendations (45%), streaming platforms themselves (44%) and traditional cues like trailers (38%).

What this means for businesses

There is no single path to discovery, but some routes are far more influential among certain audiences. Younger viewers are finding shows where they already spend their time: on social platforms while older viewers are happier to be guided by streaming services and traditional previews. Across every generation, however, recommendations from friends and family remain constant.

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between December 2024 - December 2025, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in Great Britain and weighted by age, gender, region, education, and social grade.

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