Enduring cost-of-living pressures and 13 interest rate rises since mid-2022 have not stopped Australians from signing up for more streaming services. But 1.5 million people have downgraded plans to pay less in exchange for watching ads.

Australians spent $3.5 billion in streaming subscriptions in the 12 months to June 30 – a 15 per cent surge largely fuelled by price rises, according to research firm Telsyte’s annual Subscription Entertainment Study.