A new Ofcom survey has revealed that the BBC is no longer the primary choice for television viewers, with Netflix surpassing the broadcaster.
The regulator’s annual media nations report has revealed that 26 per cent of viewers say they turn to Netflix first when looking for something to watch, with the BBC neck and neck at 25 per cent and ITV at 15 per cent.
The report also showed an increase in YouTube viewership, with YouTube viewing on TV sets doubling since 2022, with older people watching more. Average daily YouTube viewing on TV sets has increased from nine 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.
Ofcom noted that these findings underline “the growing challenges faced by traditional broadcasters”, with competition for viewers’ attention from global streaming platforms and online video services to ongoing revenue pressures.
Despite these pressures, viewing of broadcaster-owned on demand services like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 streaming and 5 streaming increased by 9 per cent year on year, making them the fastest-growing category of television service.
Adolescence. (L to R) Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, in Adolescence. Courtesy of Ben Blackall/Netflix © 2024
But the regulator noted that growth in broadcaster on demand viewing hasn’t been enough to offset the continued decline in audiences for traditional linear television channels. In 2025, 70 per cent 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. This has fallen from 73 per cent in 2024 and 78 per cent in 2022.
While Netflix secured the top two positions for most-watched programmes overall in 2025 thanks to K-Pop Demon Hunters and Adolescence, the BBC has so far claimed eight of the 10 most-watched programmes of 2026.
Major live and event television continues to unite audiences at scale. The 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 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.
England v Argentina at World Cup 2026. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
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.”
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