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Netflix tops 1 million subscribers in UK, Ireland
MUMBAI: Netflix, the Internet subscription service for TV series and films, has hit the one million member milestone in the UK and Ireland within seven months, faster than in any other territory it has launched.
To put that in perspective, that‘s four times faster than it took Twitter to hit one million users globally and nearly twice as fast as it took Facebook and Foursquare globally.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said, “This membership milestone is evidence that Netflix has rapidly gained popularity in the UK and Ireland. Our British and Irish members clearly enjoy the ability to instantly watch a large variety of TV shows and films streaming from Netflix on their favourite devices whenever they want.”
Consumers are spending more time enjoying entertainment online, according to a survey by YouGov for Netflix. Ten per cent of the UK population now dedicates two hours or more of their day to watching their favourite TV show delivered through the Internet.
On Netflix, comedy and drama are the top genre choices among UK and Irish members, whose favourite time of the week to enjoy their streaming entertainment is on a Sunday night.
TV presenter and gadget expert, Pollyanna Woodward said, “Consumers are beginning to spend more time enjoying entertainment online, streaming TV and film, and this trend is only growing. With services like Netflix, consumers can watch their favourite TV shows and films when and how they want.”
Netflix is available on over 800 devices. Brits spend ?565.21 a year on new electronic gear, according to YouGov, meaning that it is likely that any given household has at least one device that can stream TV shows and films from Netflix.
Netflix members can look forward to new TV shows and movies coming soon including ‘50/50‘, ‘2012‘ and ‘Iron Man 2‘. Members can also look forward to ‘Covert Affairs‘ and the next season of ‘Breaking Bad‘ on Netflix.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
