Ofcom: Most viewers happy with public service broadcasters
July 30, 2026
Ofcom has shared more highlights from its Nations Report looking into how people in the UK access and consume different forms of media.
The research reveals that seven even in ten people who use public service broadcasters (PSBs) said they are satisfied with them. The PSBs are considered to deliver well in most areas, in particular delivering a wide range of different types of programmes and content (73 per cent), programmes and content made for UK audiences (72 per cent) and high quality and creative programmes and content (72 per cent).
There are similarly high levels of satisfaction among children, with viewers aged 8-16 and the parents of younger children agreeing that PSBs overall provide high quality programmes they enjoy (72 per cent) and programmes and content that helps them learn (71 per cent).
Podcasts’ popularity continues to rise
Over a quarter of adults (27 per cent) now listen to a podcast each week, according to RAJAR figures – a significant rise from 7 per cent a decade ago. Early adopters in 2016 were mainly under the age of 35, but 45-54s now have a higher-than-average reach – and 13 per cent of people aged 65+ now listen to podcasts too. There’s a slight gender difference among podcast listeners, with 29 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women listening weekly.
Most people get their news online
Digital platforms are playing an increasing role in news consumption in the UK, and are used by 82 per cent of people aged 16+, compared to 76 per cent who watch broadcast television news. Social media also plays a central role, with 60 per cent of people using it for news. The media regulator also found a generational divide in news consumption habit – television (including on-demand) as a source of news is more popular among older people, with 90 per cent of those aged 75+ using it to get their news, compared to 69 per cent of people aged 16-24. And the reverse is true for online news, with 92 per cent of 16-34s going online to access news, compared to only 47 per cent of those over 75.
But during elections, TV coverage shows its value
Despite the growth in online news consumption, Ofcom also found that TV has an important role to play when elections are taking place. ofcom looked at audiences in Scotland and Wales immediately after the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru elections, and also in areas of England where local elections / mayoral elections took place earlier this year. Across the surveyed areas, six in ten (62 per cent) people who had been aware of the elections had seen news about them on TV, while only a third said they’d seen news or information about the elections online. At the same time, 15 per cent got election-related news through radio or podcasts, while 13 per cent got it from newspapers.
Pay-TV revenues are growing, despite sub numbers plateauing
Revenues for pay-TV and SVoD services grew by over £1 billion to £11.4 billion in 2025. However, as subscriber numbers plateau, growth has been driven by price increases and bundled offerings. In addition, SVoD platforms are also building in advertising, diversifying their revenue bases. Seventy per cent of UK households had at least one SVoD subscription in 2026, an increase of only two percentage points since 2022.
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