YouTube has become the most popular first destination for children when they turn on the television, according to a comprehensive survey by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. One in five young viewers aged four to 15 now head straight to the platform, with Netflix close behind. BBC One and BBC iPlayer also feature in the top five first destinations for this age group.
The shift is not limited to the young. Viewers aged 55 and over watched almost twice as much YouTube content in 2024 as they did in 2023, rising from six minutes to 11 minutes per day. Of that, 42% is viewed through a TV set, indicating the platform's growing presence in living rooms.
Overall, UK viewers spent an average of 39 minutes per day on YouTube in 2024, making it the second most-watched service after the BBC but ahead of ITV. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, traditional live TV viewing fell to just 17 minutes per day, with only 45% tuning into any broadcast TV in an average week, down from 48% in 2023.
Ofcom noted that YouTube has evolved to compete more directly with traditional broadcasters, with half of its top-trending videos resembling mainstream content such as long-form interviews and gameshows. This presents a challenge for public service broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, who must decide how much content to place on the platform. While it helps reach younger audiences, YouTube takes a significant share of advertising revenue, and there is a risk of cannibalising broadcasters' own platforms.
Ed Leighton, Ofcom's interim group director for strategy and research, said: 'Public service broadcasters are recognising this shift, moving to meet audiences in the online spaces where they increasingly spend their time. But we need to see even more ambition in this respect to ensure that public service media that audiences value survives long into the future.' Ofcom has urged broadcasters to work with YouTube on fair commercial terms, while its chair, Michael Grade, suggested new laws could force YouTube to give more prominence to public service content.
Channel 4 has gone furthest in placing content on YouTube, insisting it helps reach new viewers without harming its own platforms. ITV also announced a new deal with YouTube last year. At the BBC, Deborah Turness, head of BBC News, told staff that the head of the corporation's new AI department would focus on 'driving growth off platform with a focus on our YouTube strategy and younger audiences'. Overall, video viewing time remained steady at four hours 30 minutes per day, but traditional broadcasters' share fell from 71% in 2018 to 56% in 2024.
