Ofcom has published its annual Media Nations report that shows Netflix is now slightly ahead of the BBC as viewers’ first port of call when looking for something to watch.
The report shows that more than a quarter of viewers (26%) say Netflix is their first choice when looking for something to watch, with the BBC in line at 25%. ITV is now the first choice for 15% of audiences.
The report states that “despite these significant pressures, the UK’s traditional broadcasters are showing signs of resilience.” Viewing of broadcaster-owned on-demand services such as BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 Streaming and 5 streaming increased by 9% year on year, making them the fastest-growing category of television service. By contrast, subscription streaming services’ presence in UK homes has largely plateaued at around 70%, following years of rapid growth during the COVID pandemic.
However, growth in broadcaster on-demand viewing has not been enough to offset the continued decline in audiences for traditional linear television channels. Last year, 70% of people in the UK watched content from traditional broadcasters – including live TV, recorded playback and on-demand services – for at least 15 minutes in an average week. While still a significant reach, this has fallen steadily from 73% in 2024 and 78% in 2022, with declines seen across all age groups, including viewers aged 75 and over.
Public service broadcasters continue to enjoy strong levels of audience satisfaction and remain the leading force in UK-made programming, delivering more than 30,000 hours of first-run UK-originated content in 2025. UK broadcasters also offer over 60,000 hours of UK programming across their on-demand services.
While Netflix occupied the top two positions for the most-watched programmes overall in 2025 with K-Pop Demon Hunters and Adolescence, the BBC has so far claimed eight of the ten most-watched programmes of 2026.
More than half of these top-performing titles were dramas, including The Night Manager and Run Away, “demonstrating the enduring appeal of high-quality UK programming.”
Major live and event television continues to unite audiences at scale. Celebrity Traitors became the BBC’s biggest title of 2025, with the finale attracting an average audience of 14.8 million viewers across BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
One of the biggest television moments of 2026 so far came during England’s dramatic World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina on 15 July, when the BBC reported a peak audience of 24 million viewers across all of its platforms. The report also found that 85% of sports viewing in 2025 was watched live.
The amount of time people spend watching YouTube on television sets has doubled since 2022, reinforcing the platform’s growing role as a living-room viewing destination.
Average daily YouTube viewing on TV sets increased from 9 minutes per person in 2022 to 19 minutes in 2025. Across all devices connected in the home, total YouTube viewing rose to 41 minutes per person per day, up from 33 minutes in 2022.
Although YouTube continues to attract younger audiences, older viewers are increasingly turning to the platform. Among people aged 75 and over, weekly reach rose from 28% in 2022 to 33% in 2025.
Children aged 4-15 remain YouTube’s largest audience group, despite viewing among 16-24 declining for a second consecutive year. Short-form video continues to dominate viewing habits, with broadcasters increasingly adapting their content strategies to reflect changing audience preferences.
Kate Davies, Group Director for Strategy and Research at Ofcom, said: “As audiences increasingly benefit from an incredible choice of content, competition between traditional broadcasters, streaming services, video sharing platforms and other forms of digital media is fierce.
“But in face of these challenges, traditional broadcasters are showing resilience with the power to bring millions of us together to watch or listen for big, national moments, as well as growing their digital offerings.
“To thrive and survive in the current media landscape, it’s more important than ever for companies to continue to understand changing audience habits and adapt their strategies to meet people where they are.”
Jon Creamer
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