REPORT: Kids drive a drop in UK broadcast TV viewing

Netflix's Chicken Run: Dawn of The Nugget and Elemental on Disney+ topped the most-viewed SVOD titles last year, according to Ofcom.
July 31, 2024

Traditional TV’s grip on UK audiences is continuing to weaken—with Gen Alpha and Gen Z contributing significantly to the drop-off.

That’s the upshot of UK media regulator Ofcom’s latest Media Nations report that was released today, breaking down the region’s media consumption habits and trends in 2023. 

For all ages, traditional TV viewing dropped 6% year-over-year. Only 55% of kids (ages four to 15) in the UK watched broadcast TV on a weekly basis last year, marking a significant decrease from 81% in 2018. On average, kids spent 38 daily minutes watching traditional TV—which is less than all seven other age groups measured, with the exception of 16- to 24-year-olds at 33 minutes. 

On the flip side, YouTube enjoyed a 20% increase in at-home viewing between early 2022 and December 2023. The annual study also highlighted an interesting trend in device choice—roughly 45% of kids’ at-home YouTube watch time was logged through a TV set (an increase from 36% in 2022).

The Media Nations report also did a UK revenue tally that put Netflix at US$2 billion and Prime Video at US$1.2 billion. Overall, SVODs collectively generated around US$5.1 billion in subscription revenue last year, representing a 22% year-over-year increase. Price increases were a key revenue driver for streamers last year, says the report, which also notes other factors like password crackdowns and advertising tiers.

Kids movies came out on top in the report’s ranking of the most-viewed SVOD titles last year. Aardman Animations’ Chicken Run: Dawn of The Nugget (pictured, Netflix) took the number-one spot with an average of 7.5 million views, while Pixar’s Elemental (Disney+) came in second at 6.5 million views. Netflix dominated the top-10 list, with other entries including sports docuseries Beckham and fantasy flick Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical also making the cut.

It’s no surprise that Netflix accounted for more than half of all SVOD viewing. Kids are averaging 25 minutes a day on the platform—which is well ahead of Disney+ (12 minutes). Both streamers posted moderate increases from 2022, when Netflix averaged 23 minutes and Disney+ came in at 10 minutes. 

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