2024 UK Media Consumption Report
TV Trends
- Total TV Viewing Time Declining: The percentage of people watching TV for more than three hours a day has dropped from 58.8% in 2022 to 55.3% in 2024.
- Shorter Viewing Windows: A shorter viewing window of 1-2 hours is now equally popular as 3-4 hours (34.9% vs. 33.2%).
- Live TV Viewing: The typical live TV viewing time is now 30-60 minutes per day, with 22.6% of Brits not watching live TV at all.
- Streaming TV: More Brits are streaming TV than watching live TV. 60.6% stream for at least an hour a day compared to 36% who watch live TV.
Notable Trends:
- Netflix Viewer Decline: Netflix viewership has dropped from 76.4% to 76.6% in 2024, particularly among 18-24 year-olds (from 84.9% to 78.8%) and 55-64 year-olds (from 64.1% to 55.7%).
- Disney+ Losses: Disney+ viewership among 18-24 year-olds has declined from 38.8% to 40.2%.
- BBC iPlayer Rise: BBC iPlayer has overtaken Netflix as the preferred streaming service for 55-64 year-olds, with 57% watching it at least once a week.
Audio Trends
- Music Streaming: Daily music streaming has decreased slightly from 31.9% in 2022 to 35.0% in 2024.
- Spotify Decline: Regular Spotify users have dropped from 47.6% to 46.0%.
- Radio Listening: Daily radio listening has declined from 39.9% to 38.4%.
- Podcasts: Podcast listenership has grown, with 11.4% listening daily and 13.1% listening multiple times a week.
Notable Trends:
- Gen Z Dominance: Gen Z spends the most time on social media, with 31.3% spending 3-4 hours daily and 20.7% spending 1-2 hours.
- Instagram Usage: Daily Instagram users have decreased from 47.3% to 48.0%.
- X Usage Drop: Daily users of X (formerly Twitter) have decreased from 22.7% to 19%.
- TikTok Growth: TikTok’s daily users among 25-34 year-olds have increased from 36.5% to 41%.
Print and Digital Media Trends
- Digital Subscriptions: Digital content subscriptions have declined slightly, with 25.9% of Brits having a digital subscription in 2024.
- Print Newspapers: Weekly readership of printed newspapers has increased to 23.5%, driven by 25-34 year-olds (26.5%).
Summary:
The report highlights a shift towards streaming services and social media platforms, with traditional media like TV and print seeing declines. Key trends include a decrease in long-form TV viewing, a rise in podcast listenership, and a significant drop in daily users of platforms like Instagram and X.