According to Barclays’ latest Consumer Spend Report, UK entertainment spending rose 9.9% in February 2026 – the highest growth in 11 months. Driving spending to this industry, where live shows and concerts (up 14%), and interestingly, digital content and subscriptions (up 12.2%).
Further Details
The Battle for Your Evening
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With entertainment spending being strong, platforms in the industry are fighting harder than ever for attention. The common strategy is simple. Make the first experience seamless and as low-cost as possible. Think of this as the “try before you commit” tactic.
Online leisure platforms are a clear example. Bingo sites online use welcome promotions and free-to-play features to attract new users, letting people try the platform before they commit to large spending. For example, welcome bonuses that provide £40 of bingo tickets or 40 free spins for just £10. Streaming services are much the same. Apple TV+, Paramount+, Netflix, etc., all offer 7-day free trials in the UK. Amazon Price Video even offers a 30-day free trial at the moment.
Live events and concerts focus on a pre-sale tactic. Many tours, for example, give presale discounts and priority to fans who registered in advance through Ticketmaster’s system. This allows the tours to gain early momentum by offering tickets at a lower price, which often leads to the event selling out in just minutes.
Where the Money is Going
According to the February 2026 Barclays report, hospitality and leisure saw the strongest increase of 14%. Restaurants, cafés, and pubs all performed well. Gym memberships continued to rise, which is somewhat standard for the beginning of the year.
Digital categories took much of this spending as well. They had a 12.2% jump. This isn’t the highest jump this sector has seen – there was a 13.2% increase in August 2021. The fact that we’re reaching even close to that level in 2026 is a huge indication of how spending is shifting in the UK.
A lot of this digital entertainment spending is centred around digital content and subscription. This can be a streaming service, a fitness app, etc. What it’s suggesting is that there’s an increasing demand for paying for online experiences.
Selective Spending
Diving into Deloitte’s Consumer Tracker and taking the information from the Barclays report, we can see a redistribution of spending. People aren’t spending less; they’re just spending on different experiences.
Deloitte’s Consumer Tracker for Q4 2025, for example, showed that spending on long holidays dropped by 8 points. Betting and gaming, on the other hand, rose by two points. Entertainment also climbed by 1.5 points. People are more selective about what they’re buying, and cutting costs on large one-time purchases, like long holidays.
This isn’t going to slow down anytime soon, either. Statista’s research outlined that the UK entertainment and media market is expected to reach £121 billion by 2028. Another forecast, this time from PwC, also states that the UK gaming market alone will increase by £1 billion in two years. Therefore, these spending habits aren’t just a short-term change; it’s a long-term shift in how consumers enjoy their free time.
