Government-approved regulatory and competition authority Ofcom has released a report on UK’s media habits. 

YouTube is leading the charge in the streaming takeover of TV sets, with the service now the first place younger viewers go as soon as they switch on.

• Overall, people spent an average of 4 hours 30 minutes per day watching TV and video content at home in 2024.
• And while broadcast TV still accounts for the majority of in-home viewing (56%), audiences are increasingly turning to YouTube. The platform is now the second most-watched service in the UK, behind the BBC and ahead of ITV.
• At home, people spent 39 minutes on YouTube per day in 2024, with 16 minutes of this via the household’s TV set.
• Younger adults aged 16-34 are driving this trend, watching 18 minutes of YouTube a day on TV, while one in five (20%) children aged 4-15 head straight to the app as soon as they turn the set on.
• Over 55s are now watching nearly double the amount of YouTube content on their TVs compared to the previous year (11 minutes per day in December 2024, up from just 6 minutes in January 2023).
• Last year, 42% of all YouTube viewing by this age group was on a TV set (up from 33% in 2023).

YouTube content evolving

• Half of the platform’s top-trending videos now more closely resemble traditional TV, including long-form interviews and game shows.
• This shift positions YouTube as a direct competitor to ad-supported TV services, while offering broadcasters a way to reach wider and younger audiences.
• Public service broadcasters (PSBs) are seeing success with their online services, especially the BBC. For the first time, people are watching more online programmes from broadcasters than they are recorded programmes.

Generational divide

• Overall, people spent 4% less time watching broadcast TV in 2024 than the previous year, with average viewing dropping to 2 hours 24 minutes a day on TV sets.
• This trend was particularly driven by young adults (16-24), who watched just 17 minutes of live TV daily. Only 45% of this age group tuned into broadcast TV weekly, down from 48% in 2023.
• Less than a quarter of 16-24s’ in-home video viewing is now to broadcaster content, versus 90% for those aged 75 and over.
• Overall, people watched content from video-on-demand platforms for an average of 40 minutes per day.
• Netflix continues to be the most popular service, watched for an average of 22 minutes per day, and accounting for more than half of all viewing on streaming platforms.

Festive favourites top the list of most-watched moments

• Broadcasters proved they can still bring the nation together for shared major TV moments, with the BBC and ITV boasting the top three most-watched shows of 2024.

Podcasts eat up audio diets

• More than nine in ten UK adults (93%) listen to some form of audio content each week, increasing to 98% of 16-34-year-olds.
• YouTube (47%) and Spotify (36%) are the most popular online audio services, while BBC Sounds is the most popular from a radio broadcaster (24%).
• Music streaming and podcasts continue to be an important part of our audio diets, particularly for younger people.
• People aged 15-34 now spend more than half of their weekly listening time with streamed music and podcasts (58%, up from 40% in 2019), which is close to double the amount for the average listener (30%).

For the full report, visit ofcom.org.uk