Netflix losing its crown as online rivals muscle in

ONLINE video company Netflix is facing an uphill battle to boost viewer numbers as rivals circle, analysts have warned.

City insiders believe the company now has 6.1m UK customers – a figure thought to have been static since Christmas, despite bosses spending billions of pounds on a string of programmes.

The company has succeeded in rattling rivals such as Virgin Media and Sky, but now faces the prospect of being dethroned by other companies muscling into its market.

Subscription service Amazon Prime is thought to have 8m users in the UK and has produced hit series including The Grand Tour, which features former Top Gear stars.

Meanwhile, Disney is plotting to launch an online video channel with Facebook after ending a distribution deal with Netflix.

Netflix does not publish UK audience fig- ures. However, analysts believe it was given a boost of 400,000 before Christmas thanks to demand to see The Crown, its series about the Queen starring Claire Foy ( pictured). Since then, figures have been static – a sharp turnaround from the early years after its British launch in 2012, when hundreds of thousands of customers signed up every quarter. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.

Netflix launched in 1998 as an online DVD rental firm with 30 staff It now spends £4.6bn annually on its own programmes Filming hit show The Crown, left, cost £100m Comedian Dave Chappelle was paid £46m for two stand-up shows Netflix series received 91 Emmy nominations this year It has 104m subscribers in more than 190 countriesBut UK numbers are said to have steadied around 6.1m – less than half the 12.7m using Sky