YouTube now the second most-watched media service in the UK – Ofcom

YouTube is now the second most-watched media service in the UK behind the BBC and ahead of ITV, according to an annual Ofcom report.

Overall, people spent an average of four hours and 30 minutes a day watching TV and video content at home in 2024, with broadcast TV still making up 56% of in-home viewing, the regulator said.

However, 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.

At home, people spent 39 minutes a day on YouTube in 2024, with 16 minutes of this on the household’s TV set.

Younger adults aged 16 to 34 are driving the trend, watching 18 minutes of YouTube a day on TV, while one in five children aged four to 15 (20%) head straight to the app as soon as they turn the set on.

Even those aged over 55 have almost doubled the time they spend watching YouTube on their TVs compared with the previous year – up from six minutes a day in January 2023 to 11 minutes in December.

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Evolution

YouTube’s soaring popularity comes as the platform’s content has evolved, with half of its top-trending videos now more closely resembling traditional TV, including long-form interviews and game shows, Ofcom said.

On average, people spent 4% less time watching broadcast TV on TV sets than in 2023, with their average viewing dropping to two hours and 24 minutes a day, according to the report.

Just as in 2023, a decline was seen across all age groups except adults aged 75 and over.

Ed Leighton, Ofcom’s interim group director for strategy and research, said: “Scheduled TV is increasingly alien to younger viewers, with YouTube the first port of call for many when they pick up the TV remote.

“But we’re also seeing signs that older adults are turning to the platform as part of their daily media diet too.

“Public service broadcasters are recognising this shift – moving to meet audiences in the online spaces where they increasingly spend their time. But we need to see even more ambition in this respect to ensure that public service media that audiences value survives long into the future.”

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Most-watched

Gavin & Stacey, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Mr Bates vs The Post Office were the most-watched TV programmes and films of 2024.

Gavin & Stacey: The Finale was the most-watched programme of the year, averaging 18.6 million viewers across BBC One and BBC iPlayer on TV sets.