TV viewing on TV sets has fallen significantly over the last five years, according to Ofcom’s 2016 Public Service Broadcasting report, with a “widening gap” between the viewing habits of the youngest and oldest audiences.
The -11% decline in time spent watching TV (26 minutes less than in 2010) compares to a drop of more than a quarter among 16-24 year olds and children, while viewing fell -19% among 25-34s and -17% among 35-44s.
In contrast, viewing decreased by just -5% among 55-64 year olds and remained largely unchanged for those above 65.
However, despite a decline in viewing, weekly reach remained high among all age groups in 2015, ranging from 82% of 16-24 year olds to 97% of people over 65.
Ofcom cites the popularity of on-demand services as a potential reason for the fall in viewing among younger age groups.
[advert position=”left”]
According to the media regulator, around six in 10 adults now use on-demand services, rising to seven in 10 among 15-24s and 25-34s.
Viewing to paid on-demand services has especially increased, rising 14 percentage points to 20% in two years.
By age, the share of live viewing has reduced substantially among under 35s over the last two years, dropping by 14 percentage points to 36% among 16-24 year olds, while viewing to paid on-demand rose by a similar proportion, to a fifth of all viewing time in 2016.
Free and paid on-demand together accounted for a third of daily viewing time among 16-24s, more than any other age group.
Overall, Ofcom estimates that 63% of total viewing time is to live TV – a decrease of 6 percentage points compared with 2014.
Follow us on Twitter: @MediatelNews
