Netflix UK bests Lovefilm Instant on TV shows, but lacks movie clout

Netflix or Lovefilm Instant? Perhaps it's only the most content-hungry viewers that decide to sign up with both services, but for the rest of us, we'll only choose one -- but which one? Now Oric, a service that collates legal streaming services in the UK, has surveyed both catalogs and deemed that... it depends. For TV shows and series, Netflix can stream 412 TV titles (with 925 total series), while Lovefilm Instant can only offer up 300 titles and 589 seasons.

However, If you're wanting to pile on the movies, Amazon's UK streaming service then comes out on top, with 3,284 movies almost doubling Netflix's 1,668 titles. There's not much crossover here, either, with 3,015 flicks a Lovefilm exclusive and 1,399 movies that are Netflix-only. Oric also tapped into the catalogs' release dates, with Lovefilm housing substantially more (777) pre-80's films. Netflix, with a smaller number of titles in total, has more recent titles, with 41 coming from last year, compared to 18 on Lovefilm Instant.

However, bigger than the discrepancies between each service is the fact that the UK offerings remain tiny in comparison to their Atlantic cousins. Amazon Prime subscribers in the US get 13,185 movies and 2,204 TV seasons, compared to 3,284 and 589, respectively. So much for the special relationship.


Netflix UK bests Lovefilm Instant on TV shows, but lacks Amazon's movie clout