YouTube has taken over ITV to become the second most-watched home service in the UK, according to Ofcom.
The rise has been buoyed by the growing number of older viewers opting to watch the online platform. In particular, people over the age of 55 saw their consumption of YouTube nearly double from six minutes per day in 2023 to 11 minutes in 2024.
YouTube enjoyed a 13 per cent increase in home viewing over the last year overall, with viewers spending an average of 39 minutes per day on it, according to the regulator’s Media Nations 2025 report.
Ofcom said the platform’s soaring popularity is due to its increasing resemblance to traditional TV, with long-form interviews and game shows dominating content.
Despite the increase in viewing among older demographics, YouTube’s most loyal followers remain younger adults aged 16 to 34 who are driving the trend, watching an average of 18 minutes a day.
The BBC still hold the largest share of total viewing at 19 per cent, with YouTube at 14 per cent, and ITV, Netflix and other broadcasters accounting for 12 per cent, 8 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.
Traditional broadcasters continue to make up the majority of in-home viewing, with 56 per cent of the total share.
Networks seemed to benefit from pivoting to on-demand services; for the first time ever, more online programmes by broadcasters were watched than recorded ones. Services such as iPlayer, ITVX and 4oD saw an increase in use from five minutes to 25 minutes per day.
That said, broadcast “continued its long-term decline” from last year, with the fall apparent in all age groups except those aged 75 and older. At four per cent, however, it was was a slower decline than the six per cent drop in 2023. Across all content, broadcast saw a decrease of three per cent in total.
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“Scheduled TV is increasingly alien to younger viewers, with YouTube the first port of call for many when they pick up the TV remote,” said Ed Leighton, Ofcom’s interim group director for strategy and research. “But we’re also seeing signs that older adults are turning to the platform as part of their daily media diet.
“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.”
The top three most-watched shows of 2024 were the BBC’sGavin and Stacey: The Finale (18.6 million viewers) and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (16.9 million) and the fourth episode of ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office (14.7 million). Last year’s most-watched sporting event was Spain vs England men’s Euros, with 19.8 million across BBC, ITV and STV.
Netflix hit Adolescence became the first streaming show in history to top the UK’s weekly TV ratings las year. The show’s first episode was watched by 6.45 million people in its first week, according to ratings body Barb.
