Collapse in broadcast TV viewing as even older viewers turn to streaming
AUGUST 3, 2023 11.43 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

The UK regulator Ofcom says it has seen a steep decline in mass audience moments with fewer numbers tuning into the traditional linear channels.

According to today’s Media Nations Report, there is for the first-time evidence of a significant decline in broadcast TV viewing among older audiences. Over-64s watched 8% less broadcast TV in 2022 than in 2021 and viewing was 6% lower than in 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year).

“We have a richer, more diverse media diet, whether broadcast TV, Netflix or YouTube. As consequence, the richer broadcast TV continues to decline and for the first time ever, loyal all their audiences, those 65 and over, are watching less broadcast TV,” explained Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s Group Director, Strategy and Research.

Older viewers are increasingly using streaming services, with take-up of Disney+ among online over-64s rising from 7% in 2022 to 12% in 2023.

Teh said the 16 to 24 age group was particularly interesting as it was now watching less TV than children in the four to 15 brackets.

The report also reveals initial enthusiasm for the Netflix’s new ad-supported tier with 13% of UK online adults and teens surveyed in February 2023 claiming to take it.

The SVOD sector generated an estimated £3.3bn in 2022, up 21.5% year on year, driven by a combination of price rises and overall growth in subscriptions. But the indications are that overall SVOD household penetration has plateaued.

The TV set remains the most-used device for watching video content, accounting for 82% of total video viewing, with live broadcast TV making up the largest proportion of this time. Across all devices, live TV accounted for 44% of total video viewing in 2022, and, together with recorded playback and broadcaster video-on-demand, all content from broadcasters accounted for 60% of total video viewing.

There is interesting movement among the broadcaster video on demand services. Sky and the BBC capture a far greater proportion of their audiences on BVOD (16% and 14% respectively), whereas Channel 5 remains linear based, with 96% of all its viewing going to its broadcast linear channels and 4% to its BVOD service, My5. Channel 5 is owned by Paramount Global, which runs the Paramount+ streaming service. ITVX was still known as ITV Hub during the survey period, but Barb data shows ITVX accounted for 10% of ITV’s total viewing, up from the 7% figure across 2022. Over the same time periods, BBC iPlayer rose from 14% of the BBC’s total viewing to 18%.