Television is no longer the single main source of news for UK adults, as Ofcom research shows online sites and apps are now as popular as TV news for the first time.

TV has been considered the leading source of UK news since the 1960s, when widespread set ownership saw it overtake radio and newspapers. But Ofcom’s annual study into how we access news shows that 71 per cent of adults now do so online, compared to 70 per cent for TV, marking a generational shift in the balance of news media.

The big driving factor is the increasing use of social media for news. More than half of UK adults (52 per cent) now use platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to access news, up from 47 per cent in 2023.

Once the dominant feature of the nation’s news diets, the reach of TV news has gradually declined in recent years, and fell sharply from 75 per cent to 70 per cent last year.

Older generations turn to news sites

Going online is by far the most popular way for younger people to access news (88 per cent of 16–24-year-olds), but older generations are also gradually adding online sources to their news diets.

Over half (54 per cent) of people aged 55+ find news online – up from 45 per cent in 2018 – with most navigating directly to news websites. Only 28 per cent access news via social media, significantly lower than 16-24s at 82 per cent.

Despite this trend towards online news sources, TV remains by far the leading platform for news among older age groups (85 per cent), compared to only half of 16-24s (49 per cent).

Public service broadcasters (PSBs) remain an important way to access news. BBC One remains the most popular individual news source, while news across all BBC platforms (TV, radio, news website, Sounds and iPlayer) still reaches 68 per cent of all UK adults. ITV1 is the second most popular individual news source.

But use of both channels for news has gradually declined over the last five years. Channel 4 has fallen out of the top 10 rankings for the first time, with news usage down from 17 per cent in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2024.

Four of the ten most popular news sources are the social media services Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and X . Among 16–24-year-olds, these platforms plus TikTok occupy all top five spots. YouTube is now as widely used to access news content as the Sky News Channel and more popular than the BBC News Channel and BBC News Online.

Broadcast news trusted and valued, with review underway to secure its future

Online news sources – and social media platforms in particular – are rated much less favourably than traditional platforms such as TV and radio for accuracy, trust and impartiality (see table below).

Audiences still consider ‘trusted and accurate UK news’ as the most important societal feature of public service media (PSM), with nearly half of respondents (49 per cent) ranking it among the top three attributes. Ofcom research also shows that PSBs, on the whole, consistently deliver well in this area, with 63 per cent of respondents rating PSB news as ‘trusted and accurate’.

Ofcom wants to support the availability of trusted and valued PSM news where people consume it, so it is setting the framework for its next review of public service media. This will build on the findings from its last review – Small Screen: Big Debate – which saw many of Ofcom’s recommendations to Government put in place through the recent Media Act 2024.

The first phase of the review will look at how well PSBs have delivered for UK audiences, including how PSB news is made available to audiences online. The second phase will consider potential options for changes in regulation or legislation to support public service media in the future.

“Television has dominated people’s news habits since the sixties, and it still commands really high trust,” notes Yih-Choung The, Ofcom Group Director, Strategy and Research. “But we’re witnessing a generational shift to online news, which is often seen as less reliable – together with growing fears about misinformation and deepfake content. Ofcom wants to secure high-quality news for the next generation, so we’re kicking off a review of the public service media that help underpin the UK’s democracy and public debate.”

How people followed the General Election

Ofcom has also researched news consumption during the 2024 General Election period. It tracked UK adults’ engagement with news, the role of media in helping them form opinions, and experiences of potential misinformation. Findings included:

• Nine in ten followed the election, with younger adults especially engaged. The biggest increase in news interest during the election period was among younger adults aged 18-24 – up to 58 per cent compared to 39 per cent in normal periods. Conversely, older adults aged 50+, women, and those in lower socio-economic households, were all more likely than usual to be uninterested in news during the election period.
• Most people saw misleading content. Six in ten (60 per cent) recalled having seen information they felt was false or misleading. Of these, one in ten said they saw this kind of content several times a day.
• Worries about deepfake video and audio. Over half of people (57 per cent) expressed concern about the impact of deepfake content during the General Election campaign. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of adults claimed they had encountered a deepfake during the previous week.

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