YouTube is now the second most-watched service in the UK, behind the BBC and ahead of ITV.
The video platform is leading the charge in the streaming takeover of TV sets, with the service now the first place that younger viewers go as soon as they switch on, according to Ofcom’s annual report on the UK’s media habits.
Overall people spent an average of 4 hours 30 minutes per day watching TV and video content at home in 2024. Broadcast TV still accounts for the majority of in-home viewing (56%), but audiences are increasingly turning to YouTube.
At home, people spent 39 minutes on YouTube per day in 2024, with 16 minutes of this via the household’s TV set. Younger adults aged 16-34 are driving this trend, watching 18 minutes of YouTube a day on TV, while one in five (20%) children aged 4-15 head straight to the app as soon as they turn the set on.
Over 55s are also watching nearly double the amount of YouTube content on their TVs compared to the previous year, up from six minutes a day to 11 minutes a day. Last year, 42% of all YouTube viewing by this age group was on a TV set.
The content that audiences are watching on YouTube has evolved too, according to Ofcom. Half of the platform’s top-trending videos now more closely resemble traditional TV, including long-form interviews and game shows.
This shift now positions YouTube as a direct competitor to ad-supported TV services, while offering broadcasters a way to reach wider and younger audiences.
Some broadcasters are increasingly offering their own programmes on YouTube, such as ITV and Channel 4.
Overall, people spent 4% less time watching broadcast TV in 2024 than the previous year, with average viewing dropping to 2 hours 24 minutes a day on TV sets. This trend was particularly driven by young adults (16-24), who watched just 17 minutes of live TV daily.
Only 45% of this age group tuned into broadcast TV weekly. Less than a quarter of 16-24-year-olds’ in-home video viewing is now to broadcaster content, versus 90% for those aged 75 and over.
Overall, people watched content from video-on-demand platforms for an average of 40 minutes per day. Netflix continues to be the most popular service, watched for an average of 22 minutes per day, and accounting for more than half of all viewing on streaming platforms.
But broadcasters can still bring the nation together for shared major TV moments, with the BBC and ITV boasting the top three most-watched shows of 2024.
Gavin and Stacy: The Finale (18.6 million) was the most watched programme last year, followed by Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (16.9 million), with the fourth episode of Mr Bates vs The Post Office (14.7 million) coming in third. The top two most-watched programmes both aired first on Christmas Day.
The Spain v England Euro 2024 final was the most-watched live sports event of the year across the BBC, ITV and STV, with 19.8 million people tuning in on the day.
Netflix’s Adolescence was the most-watched TV event in the first quarter of 2025 with 12.2 million viewers until the end of March. This marked the first time a streaming title topped weekly TV ratings.
Ed Leighton, Ofcom’s Interim Group Director for Strategy and Research, said: “Scheduled TV is increasingly alien to younger viewers, with YouTube the first port of call for many when they pick up the TV remote. But we’re also seeing signs that older adults are turning to the platform as part of their daily media diet too.
“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.”
