The number of viewers tuning in to watch broadcast television each week has seen the sharpest fall since records began, according to a new report.
As competition for the nation’s attention intensifies between public service broadcasters and streamers, the proportion of people watching traditional TV each week has declined from 83% in 2021 to 79% in 2022, the research revealed.
The amount of television watched by viewers has also dropped by over 20 minutes each day, with the average time spent watching broadcast TV dropping from two hours 59 minutes in 2021 to two hours 38 minutes the following year.
Shows to have seen their ratings plummet recently include Strictly, with win in 2021, compared to 11million the previous year, and .
More than half the amount of people watched this year’s finale (1.5million) versus the 3.4million witnessing Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and being crowned champion in 2022.
But, in a boost to public service broadcasters like the and , they still dominate the UK’s most-watched list with valued national TV moments, according to the Media Nations 2023 report.
They include England’s quarter-final in the Fifa World Cup, the State Funeral of the Queen, watched by , and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which bagged the top three spots on the 2022 UK’s most-watched programmes.
Other shows racking up huge viewing figures include Glastonbury, with Sir Elton John’s headline performance on BBC One.
Happy Valley’s epic finale also attracted a similar number of viewers as when it aired on BBC One on a Sunday night at the start of the year.
And despite the continuing decline of traditional broadcast TV viewing, BBC One and ITV1 are still the top two first destinations for viewers when they turn on their TV, with Netflix placing third.
However, another notable shift in the broadcast TV landscape according to Ofcom’s findings is a steep decline in the number of programmes attracting ‘mass audiences.’
The number of shows with over four million TV viewers has more than halved over the past eight years since 2022, which reflects fewer people tuning in to watch early and late evening TV news bulletins as well as a steady decline in viewing figures for the three most popular soaps, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale, Ofcom said.
The research suggests just 48 programmes averaged more than four million TV viewers on streaming platforms in 2022, with ‘Netflix accounting for the vast majority,’ the report said.
Last year, the Jenna Ortega starring drama Wednesday viewed in its third week on Netflix, a feat also achieved by the streamer’s shows and the fourth season of .
Yih-Choung Teh, group director of strategy and research at Ofcom, said: ‘Today’s viewers and listeners have an “all-you-can-eat” buffet of broadcasting and online content to choose from, and there’s more competition for our attention than ever.
‘Our traditional broadcasters are seeing steep declines in viewing to their scheduled, live programmes – including among typically loyal older audiences – and soaps and news programmes don’t have the mass audience pulling power they once had.
‘But despite this, public service broadcasters are still unrivalled in bringing the nation together at important cultural and sporting moments, while their on-demand players are seeing positive growth as they digitalise their services to meet audience needs.’
