One in four consumers engage across cinema and digital, as entertainment rebounds and rebalances

After years of disruption, the global entertainment market is entering a period of recalibration. Futuresource Consulting’s latest Living with Digital consumer research shows that audiences are rediscovering the cinema experience while maintaining healthy engagement with digital formats. Rather than competing, the two are now feeding into one another, and that’s a clear sign of a sector in harmony. 

Conducted across the UK, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Australia, Japan and Sweden, the study explores the habits and behaviours shaping today’s entertainment economy, spanning cinema, transactional and subscription streaming, and ad-supported models. 

“The relationship between cinema and home entertainment is evolving into something symbiotic,” says James Duvall, Principal Analyst, Futuresource Consulting. “Our data shows that people who both go to the cinema and transact digitally are the most engaged audience of all. These consumers buy and rent more frequently, attend the cinema more often, and spend more across the board. It’s a clear sign that engagement breeds engagement.” 

Cinema recovery gains momentum

Following the disruption caused by Hollywood’s 2023 strikes, the 2025 release slate has restored confidence in theatrical attendance. Eight of the ten surveyed markets reported an increase in both cinema attendance and frequency, with the UK, USA and Japan seeing the sharpest gains. 

Younger audiences are driving this resurgence. Nearly 60% of 26 to 45-year-olds visited the cinema in the past year, with eight in ten of those attending more than once. Families with children aged eight and under also over-indexed, with a six-percentage-point uplift year-on-year. 

However cost remains the leading barrier, and was cited by 45% of those who had visited less often in the past 12-months, but more consumers now also have home setups capable of delivering a premium experience. Despite this, cinema attendance is rising, showing that at-home viewing isn’t replacing the big screen, but sitting alongside it as part of a broader entertainment mix. 

Digital transactional rises alongside cinema

Across most markets, digital purchasing and rental (EST and TVoD) continues the post-pandemic rebound, with the UK leading in active digital movie transactors. Japan recorded its highest engagement since before COVID, while the USA, Canada, France and Germany all moved upward. 

Futuresource’s cross-over analysis shows that 65% of respondents either transacted digitally, visited the cinema, or did both in the past year. Of those doing both, at 24%, engagement levels are markedly higher than for consumers just transacting. This is another complementary indicator of how these two forms can sit alongside each other, rather than transactional content eroding box office attendance.  

“The big picture is one of renewed confidence,” says Duvall. “Audiences are back in control of how they experience content, whether that’s the occasion of a cinema trip or the convenience of a home release. For the industry, that flexibility is now the foundation of future growth.” 

Ad-tiers and bundles reshape streaming growth

Subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) remains strong, but growth is slowing as markets approach saturation. Across all ten countries, penetration climbed again in 2025, with Spain, the UK and the USA huddled together in the top three positions, with Japan experiencing the smallest share of households with a paid-for streaming service. However, the pace of expansion now owes more to ad-supported plans and bundled offers than to new household sign-ups, with ad-tiers now present in 56% of SVoD households. That’s up from 51% last year, while Pay-TV and telecom bundles are helping maintain stability, with over half of bundled packages now providing access to a streaming service. 

As stacking continues, households are approaching a natural ceiling of around three core services. The real battle now lies in retention, not acquisition, with value-for-money and exclusive content emerging as decisive factors. 

The evolving consumer mindset

The Futuresource report also tracks the subtle shift in how people perceive entertainment itself. Compared with five years ago, consumers are spending more time on social and short-form video. Yet long-form viewing remains the anchor of global entertainment culture, whether in cinemas, on streaming, or through transactional platforms. 

“Audiences are settling into a new digital rhythm,” says Duvall. “Choice has never been broader, but habits are stabilising. The future is about coexistence between cinema and digital, between ad-supported and premium, and between instant access and the premium experience.” 

Conducted across 10 countries with more than 20,000 consumers, the latest instalment of Futuresource Consulting’s Living with Digital survey explores changing entertainment behaviours across major international markets, combining long-term trend analysis with up-to-date consumer insight. 

For more information or to purchase the full report, please contact please contact Imad at imad.sarwar@futuresource-hq.com or learn more here.