For the first time, less than half of UK-based 16-24-year-olds are watching broadcast TV in an average week, according to media regulator Ofcom’s annual study into the nation’s media habits. Just 48% of young audiences tuned in during an average week last year, down from 76% in 2018. Children aged 4-15 are also tuning out, with only 55% watching broadcast TV each week in 2023, compared to 81% in 2018.
The decline in weekly reach among middle-aged viewers (45-54s) also accelerated, falling from 89% to 84% in a single year. While audiences aged 65+ have stayed loyal, the overall weekly reach of traditional TV fell by a record amount in the last year.
While traditional TV is on the ropes, the clear message is that social platforms are in the ascendancy. 16-24 are only watching 33 minutes of traditional TV each day, but they are spending 1 hour 33 minutes with video-sharing platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. There is also an upward trend for broadcasters’ video-on-demand services, such as iPlayer and ITVX, which are up 29% to 20 minutes a day.
While social is supplanting broadcast among young audiences, overall demand for TV and video content is buoyant, said Ofcom. Overall, people in the UK watched more content at home in 2023, averaging 4 hours and 31 minutes a day (up 2% since 2022).
Likewise, the TV set remains at the heart of household viewing, said Ofcom, accounting for 84% of TV and video content watched at home in 2023. “TV screens are also rapidly becoming more popular for watching YouTube content,” added Ofcom. “34% of time spent watching YouTube at home is now on a TV set – up from 29% in 2022. This increases to 45% among children aged 4-15 – up from 36% in 2022.”
Ian Macrae, Ofcom’s director of market intelligence, commented: “Gen Z and Alpha are used to swiping and streaming, not flipping through broadcast TV channels. They crave the flexibility, immediacy and choice that on-demand services offer.”
