Fewer Young People in the UK Watching Traditional TV
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A new study says fewer young people in the UK watch TV. The study comes from Ofcom, the UK group that watches over TV and radio. Ofcom’s report says less than half of young people aged 16 to 24 watch TV in a normal week. This is the first time this has happened.
People are choosing other ways to watch. Instead of live TV, many young people like watching YouTube or Netflix. These let people watch when they want. They do not have to wait for the show to come on TV.
The BBC, the UK’s main TV service, could lose money because of this. People in the UK must pay a TV license to watch BBC content. Fewer young people watching means less money for the BBC. But radio is still popular in the UK, with many people tuning in each week.
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In the UK, younger viewers are turning away from traditional broadcast TV, according to a recent study by Ofcom. The study shows that fewer than half (48%) of people aged 16-24 are watching live TV weekly, compared to 75% of all age groups. Instead, younger viewers prefer watching content on streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, and BBC’s video-on-demand app, iPlayer.
This trend of moving away from traditional TV might be problematic for the BBC, the UK’s public broadcasting service. People must pay a TV license fee to watch BBC content, but fewer young people are doing so. As a result, the BBC may see a drop in funding, which could affect its ability to produce new shows and content.
Interestingly, while fewer young people watch live TV, many are still using televisions to watch shows. Instead of live programs, however, they prefer to watch on-demand content. Radio in the UK is also very popular, with about 70% of people tuning in every week, even as music streaming becomes more common.
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Ofcom’s latest Media Nations report underscores a significant shift in media habits among British audiences, especially Gen Z. For the first time, under half (48%) of Britons aged 16-24 reported watching traditional broadcast TV weekly, compared to a much higher rate among older age groups. Instead, younger viewers are migrating to on-demand streaming platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and BBC iPlayer, which offer flexibility in viewing times and content choice.
This decline in live TV viewership could pose serious challenges for the BBC, the UK’s public service broadcaster. The BBC relies on the annual £169.50 TV license fee for funding, which covers content across TV, radio, and online. However, as younger generations choose international streaming platforms over BBC offerings, license cancellations are rising, resulting in potential revenue losses that may affect the BBC’s ability to produce new programming.
The study also revealed that while live TV’s reach has decreased, television sets are still central to UK media consumption. Time spent watching streamed content on television grew, with notable increases in YouTube and on-demand video use. Interestingly, radio in the UK is thriving, with 70.4% of Britons tuning in weekly, suggesting that live audio content continues to resonate, even as live video loses its grip on younger viewers.
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