Ofcom: Watching video online now “almost universal” among 16-24 year olds

Viewing online video and TV catch-up services has seen use grow over the last 12 months, according to a new report published today by Ofcom.

Since 2014, online viewing amongst all adults has increased from 71% to 74%. However, there is a strong correlation between usage levels and age, with the highest usage levels observed among younger age groups.

Watching video online is now “almost universal” among 16-24 year olds (96%), whereas only one in three adults aged 65+ (35%) use such services.
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TV catch-up – including the likes of iPlayer, All 4 and ITV Player – are the most commonly-viewed services, followed by social networking sites and YouTube.

The report also reveals that TV catch-up services are watched by six in 10 of all UK adults (57%). Short-form content posted on social networking sites (51%) and YouTube (45%) are the next most commonly-viewed types of content, viewed by around half of all UK adults.

While TV catch-up services are viewed by greater numbers of people, content posted on social networking sites and YouTube are viewed with “greater levels of frequency,” Ofcom found.

Use of long-form services is relatively low by comparison (16% use online rental, 15% use paid-for VoD and/or paid-for content from online stores).

Full report available to download on Ofcom’s website.