Is this the beginning of the end of traditional TV? Viewers are switching off BBC and ITV as they turn to ‘snackable’ TikTok content and ‘all-you-can-eat broadcasting buffet’ on streaming rivals like Netflix and Disney+

Viewers are ditching traditional television in record time, with even loyal over-65s dropping the format for an “all-you-can-eat broadcast buffet” on streaming rivals like Netflix and Disney+.

With more competition than ever from streamers, the proportion of Brits watching a program on TV each week fell from 83 per cent in 2021 to 79 per cent in 2022 – the sharpest drop since registration began, according to Ofcom’s Media Nations report.

Fewer people than ever before are tuning in to major channels, while news bulletins and soap operas are not drawing the audience they once did.

And while it’s no surprise that 16- to 24-year-olds are more likely to watch 10-minute ‘snackable’ content on TikTok and YouTube, the study also found that the average time spent watching linear TV by 10-year-olds increased by 10 had dropped. % year on year.

“Today’s viewers and listeners have an unlimited buffet of broadcast and online content to choose from and there is more competition for our attention than ever,” said Ofcom’s Yih-Choung Teh.

“Our traditional broadcasters are seeing a sharp drop in viewership to their scheduled, live programs, including among typically loyal older viewers, and soap operas and news no longer have the mass audience appeal they once had.

Despite this, public service broadcasters are still unparalleled in bringing the nation together at key cultural and sporting moments, while their on-demand players are seeing positive growth as they digitize their services to meet audience needs.

Older viewers appear to be diversifying their viewing habits, with the share of subscribers to Disney+ rising from 7 percent to 12 percent.

Part of Disney’s appeal to older viewers may be due to a spate of reboots of classic British entertainment, including the comedy film The Full Monty.

Only Murders in the Building starring Steve Martin has also proved a hit with the over-64s – whose demographic viewing Disney+ rose to 12 percent last year, up from seven percent in 2021.

This jump has helped Disney+ reach a goal of seven million subscribers, according to The Times, putting it on par with Netflix and Amazon Prime, whose numbers have remained flat.

The 2023 Ofcom Media Nations said the average time spent per person per day watching television fell from two hours 59 minutes in 2021 to two hours 38 minutes the following year.

Despite the sharp drop in traditional broadcast viewing, BBC One and ITV1 are still more watched than Netflix weekly, while ratings on BBC iPlayer and ITVX are rising.

The public perception of the public service broadcasters is still positive: 69 percent say they are satisfied with it. They ‘still bring the nation together’ at key moments, Ofcom added.

The number of programs with more than four million TV viewers has more than halved in the past eight years since 2022, reflecting fewer people tuning into early and late night news bulletins and viewing figures for the three most popular soaps, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale, Ofcom said.

The research suggests that just 48 programs averaged more than four million TV viewers on streaming platforms in 2022, with “Netflix accounting for the vast majority,” the report said.

Ofcom’s research also suggests there is a significant drop in average TV viewing among the ‘core’ older audience aged 65+, as they are more likely to use streaming services.

The research suggests viewers recognize that PSB channels are ‘delivering broadcasts that bring the nation together for a shared viewing experience’, with England’s Fifa World Cup quarter-final, the Queen’s state funeral and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee among the top three. spots on the UK’s most watched programs in 2022.

Similarly, PSB’s video-on-demand services BBC iPlayer and ITVX continued to grow.

There also seems to be a decline in ‘mass audience’ programming, which unites households and bridges the generation gap, with viewership at four million and more than half what it was eight years ago.

The early and late night news bulletins and soap operas have all taken a hit. Total soap opera audiences have fallen by 42 percent since 2014.

The research also shows that young people under the age of 25 spend almost an hour on Tiktok every day.

The social media platform’s usage rate held steady as traffic grew — it attracted 45 percent of people aged 15 and over, up from 36 percent in 2021.

The biggest increase was in the 25-34 demographic, with 5 million viewers a week, up from 4.2 million last year.

This age group was also found to spend 36 minutes every day scrolling to short video content that was less than ten minutes long.