TV providers in the United Kingdom:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, NOW was the most searched TV provider in the United Kingdom, accounting for 62.2% of all searches among the seven providers we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, NOW, Sky, EE and Virgin Media showed up in every answer. Sky was recommended most often, coming first in four out of five responses.
NOWShare of searches 62.2%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
SkyShare of searches 17.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
FreeviewShare of searches 12.4%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
FreelyShare of searches 3.1%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
EEShare of searches 2.5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
Follow TV providers and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Top TV providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, NOW, Sky, EE and Virgin Media appeared every time. Sky was recommended most often, coming first in four out of five answers. Virgin Media was second, and EE was third.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- NOW5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Sky5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- EE5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Virgin Media5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
BT4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Freeview2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Freely2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about TV providers
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which TV provider should I choose in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best TV providers in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best value TV and broadband package in the UK?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“tv packages”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“broadband and tv”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.
Which TV providers do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each TV provider by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven TV providers we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for NOW, Sky, Freeview, Freely, EE. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | NOW | Sky | Freeview | Freely | EE | Virgin Media | BT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 53.2% | 18.7% | 10.6% | 7.2% | 2.6% | 6.7% | 0.96% |
| Nov 2025 | 57.6% | 16.5% | 11.6% | 6.3% | 2.3% | 4.9% | 0.85% |
| Dec 2025 | 60.8% | 13.5% | 12.2% | 8.2% | 2% | 2.5% | 0.73% |
| Jan 2026 | 62.9% | 16.1% | 12.6% | 3.8% | 2.1% | 1.7% | 0.76% |
| Feb 2026 | 64.4% | 15.8% | 10.5% | 3.2% | 2.1% | 3.2% | 0.77% |
| Mar 2026 | 64.6% | 16.3% | 10.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 0.78% |
| Apr 2026 | 64.3% | 15.7% | 12.9% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 1.8% | 0.63% |
| May 2026 | 63.9% | 14.3% | 10.5% | 5.7% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 0.63% |
| Jun 2026 | 55.8% | 18.1% | 13.6% | 7.5% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 0.82% |
| Jul 2026 | 63.9% | 14.9% | 12.8% | 3.8% | 2.1% | 1.9% | 0.63% |
| Aug 2026 | 67.2% | 15.6% | 9% | 3.3% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 0.66% |
| Sep 2026 | 62.2% | 17.1% | 12.4% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 1.9% | 0.75% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 62.2% | 550K | -18.3% | -5 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 17.1% | 151K | -3.8% | +1.4 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 12.4% | 110K | +21.5% | +3.4 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 3.1% | 27.1K | -18.1% | -0.2 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 2.5% | 22.2K | 0% | +0.3 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 1.9% | 17.1K | -11.4% | 0 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 0.75% | 6.6K | 0% | +0.1 points |
1.
NOW62.2%
Held 1st. 550K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -5 points.
2.
Sky17.1%
Held 2nd. 151K estimated branded searches, -3.8% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.
3.
Freeview12.4%
Held 3rd. 110K estimated branded searches, +21.5% vs prior month. Share +3.4 points.
4.
Freely3.1%
Held 4th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
5.
EE2.5%
Held 5th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
1.9%
Held 6th. 17.1K estimated branded searches, -11.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
7.
BT0.75%
Held 7th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among TV providers in the United Kingdom?
7 brands
In September 2026, NOW was the most searched among TV providers in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 550K branded searches, 62.2% of all searches for the seven we track. Sky is in 2nd place, 45.2 percentage points behind at 17.1%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOW | 53.2% → 62.2% | 67.2%Aug 2026 | 53.2%Oct 2025 | 1st |
| Sky | 18.7% → 17.1% | 18.7%Oct 2025 | 13.5%Dec 2025 | 2nd |
| Freeview | 10.6% → 12.4% | 13.6%Jun 2026 | 9%Aug 2026 | 3rd |
| Freely | 7.2% → 3.1% | 8.2%Dec 2025 | 2.6%Apr 2026 | 4th |
| EE | 2.6% → 2.5% | 2.6%Oct 2025 | 2%Dec 2025 | 6th → 5th |
| Virgin Media | 6.7% → 1.9% | 6.7%Oct 2025 | 1.7%Jan 2026 | 5th → 6th |
| BT | 0.96% → 0.75% | 0.96%Oct 2025 | 0.63%Jul 2026 | 7th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NOW’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom increased from 53.2% to 62.2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sky’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom decreased from 18.7% to 17.1%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Freeview’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom increased from 10.6% to 12.4%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Freely’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom decreased from 7.2% to 3.1%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Media’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom decreased from 6.7% to 1.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NOW’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom peaked at 67.2% in August 2026 and was lowest at 53.2% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sky’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom peaked at 18.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 13.5% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Freeview’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom peaked at 13.6% in June 2026 and was lowest at 9% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Freely’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom peaked at 8.2% in December 2025 and was lowest at 2.6% in April 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Media’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom peaked at 6.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 1.7% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, EE rose from 6th to 5th among TV providers in the United Kingdom.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Media fell from 5th to 6th among TV providers in the United Kingdom.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BT held steady: its share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom TV providers in September 2026?
7 changes
In September 2026, Freeview gained share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom, from 9% to 12.4%.
In September 2026, Sky gained share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom, from 15.6% to 17.1%.
In September 2026, NOW lost share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom, from 67.2% to 62.2%.
Freely’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 7.5% to 3.1% in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Virgin Media in the United Kingdom fell 75.4% over 12 measured months, from 69.5K to 17.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for BT in the United Kingdom fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 6.6K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for EE in the United Kingdom fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 22.2K in September 2026.
Compare popularity between leading brands
- NOW vs Sky: compare popularity
- NOW vs Freeview: compare popularity
- NOW vs Freely: compare popularity
- NOW vs EE: compare popularity
- Sky vs Freeview: compare popularity
- Sky vs Freely: compare popularity
- Sky vs EE: compare popularity
- Freeview vs Freely: compare popularity
- Freeview vs EE: compare popularity
- Freely vs EE: compare popularity
- Compare any of these brands
See your own brand in this picture
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to your campaigns, spend and outcomes, so you can see what moved your numbers, not just that they moved.