Netflix tops the table as go-to platform for watching TV for Brits, narrowly beating the BBC, a new Ofcom report shows.
Netflix is the first port of call for UK audiences when they’re looking for something to watch, a new report from Ofcom has revealed.
More than a quarter (26%) turn to Netflix, just beating the BBC (25%) ITV (15%), and YouTube (10%).
Netflix was main platform among 24-34-year-olds (39%), the BBC and ITV was go to service among those over 75 at 48% and 30%, respectively. YouTube was highest among 16-24 year-olds (23%).
Broadcaster-owned on demand services such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX are remaining resilience amid pressure from streaming giants, which saw a 9% year-on-year (YoY) increase in usage, making it the fastest growing television category.
Subscription services plateaued at around a 70% in UK households after years of rapid growth during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most people in the UK (70%) watched at least 15 minutes per week from traditional broadcasters (including on-demand services) in 2025. While this is a significant proportion, it has been steadily declining in recent years across each age categories – this figure stood at 73% in 2024 and 78% in 2022.
Traditional broadcasters are still able to create moments of national interest with the BBC claiming eight of the top ten most-watched programmes of 2026 – although the top two most watched were from Netflix with Adolescence and K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Sporting events like England’s semi-final face off against Argentina during the FIFA World Cup 2026 delivered peak audience figures of 24 million viewers across all platforms. The report highlighted that 85% of sports viewing was watched live.
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.”
Popular platforms
One growing platform is YouTube. Average daily TV set viewing sits at 19 minutes per person, an increase from nine minutes in 2022. When measured across all devices, this rises to 41 minutes per person, up from 33 minutes in 2022.
Young children aged between four to 15 are spending increasing amounts of time on the platform as short-form video dominate viewing habits.
Audio is an underrated channel in British media consumption with 93% of adults listening to some form of audio content each week, including 87% listening to live radio – the highest of any media sector.
Podcasts are also growing in popularity, particularly with more than a quarter of over 55s now tuning in on a weekly basis. News and current affairs the most popular genre.
In the current landscape, Davies explained, companies must continue to understand changing audience habits and must adapt their marketing strategies to meet people where they are.
