Broadcast TV’s weekly audience sees steepest annual decline since records began

A sea change is sweeping across the UK’s media landscape, as evidenced by the sharp fall in traditional broadcast TV viewing, according to Ofcom’s latest Media Nations 2023 Report.

Traditional broadcast TV has suffered its steepest annual fall since records began, declining from 83% in 2021 to 79% in 2022.

But content from Wales’ public service broadcasters remains highly valued despite proliferation of content providers.

The number of programmes attracting more than four million TV viewers has halved since 2014, highlighting a significant shift in viewer preferences.

In a sign of the changing times, the average time spent watching broadcast TV each day has decreased from 2 hours 59 minutes in 2021 to 2 hours 38 minutes in 2022, a 12% drop.

Furthermore, the older audience (aged 65+) has experienced a significant 8% year-on-year decline in average daily broadcast TV viewing.

Viewers in Wales remain the second largest consumers of broadcast TV in any of the nations.

Yih-Choung Teh, Group Director of Strategy and Research at Ofcom, noted, “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.”

While traditional television is declining, platforms like TikTok have seen an explosion of interest. Teenagers and young adults are now spending an average of an hour a day on TikTok, reflecting the rising popularity of short-form content.

Netflix, along with other streaming platforms, has also grown, with 48 programmes averaging over four million TV viewers in 2022, illustrating the fragmented viewing landscape.

Commercial radio has consolidated its position as the market leader with a 51.4% share in Q1 2023. Smart speakers now account for 20% of in-home radio listening, while podcasts continue to attract listeners aged 25-44.

Despite the decline in traditional viewing, public service broadcasters (PSBs), including BBC One and ITV1, continue to unite the nation, especially during significant cultural and sporting moments. PSBs’ programmes dominated the most-watched list in 2022, and viewer satisfaction remains high at 69%.

The digitalisation of services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX, whose viewership has grown significantly, indicates that PSBs are adapting to meet the evolving needs of the audience.

In Wales, traditional public service broadcasters remain strong, with 75% of viewers praising their variety of programmes.

Notably, BBC iPlayer’s popularity in Wales has soared to 73%, making it the most favoured streaming service.

The Media Nations 2023 Report paints a vivid picture of a rapidly evolving media landscape. While the decline in traditional broadcast TV represents a historic shift, it is also a tale of resilience, innovation, and adaptability.

In line with the general trend across the UK, older people in Wales watch more broadcast TV on a television set compared to younger viewers.

The over-54s watched more than any other age group, at an average of 4 hours 58 minutes per day, down by 10.6% since 2021.

Children aged 4-15 watched the least, at an average of 43 minutes per day, down by 21.2% since 2021

Public perception of the public service broadcast channels remains positive, with seven in ten viewers in Wales (69%) saying they were satisfied with them overall.

This figure is consistent with the UK average.

Programmes produced by the public service broadcasters, live sport and special events, in particular, dominated the list of most-watched programmes in 2022.

Not surprisingly, given Wales’ love of rugby, Wales’ Six Nations Rugby match versus France was the most watched programme with an average audience of 652,000.

The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II held the second position with 624,000 viewers and the FIFA World Cup at number three with 612,000 viewers.

Top ten most-watched programmes in Wales, highest performing episode per title: 2022