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The core numbers for 16–24-year-olds in 2024
Ofcom’s Media Nations 2025 – UK Report, published 30 July 2025, is the primary source for the figures below. Each measure answers a different question, so they should be read side by side rather than merged.
| Measure (16–24-year-olds unless stated) | 2024 value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Live TV viewing per day | 17 minutes | Average time spent watching channels as they are broadcast |
| Weekly broadcast TV reach | 45% | Share who watched at least 15 consecutive minutes of broadcast TV in an average week |
| Average in-home video viewing per day | 3 hours 19 minutes | All video viewed in the home across TV sets and other devices on the home’s Wi-Fi |
| Broadcaster share of measured in-home viewing | 19% | Share of that in-home video time spent on broadcaster content |
| Broadcaster share, aged 75 and over (comparison) | 90% | Same measure for the oldest group Ofcom reports |
The 3 hours 19 minutes figure is roughly two-thirds subscription and ad-supported video-on-demand (SVoD and AVoD) plus video-sharing platforms (VSPs), by Ofcom’s combined calculation. The remainder is mainly broadcaster content and other activity.
How far broadcast viewing has fallen
Ofcom’s own trend data shows the decline across the past several years. The 2024 weekly figure of 45% is the latest in the sources reviewed here, and it sits below the 48% recorded in 2023 by Ofcom’s report published 31 July 2024, titled Gen Z swerves traditional broadcast TV as less than half tune in weekly.
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| Year | Share of 16–24-year-olds who watched broadcast TV in an average week | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 76% | Ofcom, 2024 report, historical comparison |
| 2023 | 48% | Ofcom, 2024 report |
| 2024 | 45% | Ofcom, Media Nations 2025 |
Ofcom’s 2025 report also states that the decline continued into 2025. Viewing was lower in each of the first five months of 2025 than in the same months of 2024. That is a partial-year comparison covering January to May, so it should not be presented as a full-year 2025 figure.
Where in-home video time goes
Two device and provider figures are often confused, and both are worth stating precisely.
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- Across all individuals aged 4 and over, 84% of in-home video viewing in 2024 was through a TV set. This is an all-age device statistic. It says nothing specific about how Gen Z uses television.
- For YouTube alone, 41% of viewing at home took place on a TV set in 2024, up from 34% in 2023. This describes the screen used for YouTube, not whether the viewing was broadcast television. Watching YouTube on a living-room set is video-sharing viewing, not linear TV.
Ed Leighton, Ofcom’s Interim Group Director for Strategy and Research, put the pattern this way in the 30 July 2025 Ofcom article Tuning into YouTube: UK’s media habits revealed: “Scheduled TV is increasingly alien to younger viewers, with YouTube the first port of call for many when they pick up the TV remote.”
Ofcom’s position is not that live TV has disappeared. In its 31 July 2024 article, Ian Macrae, Ofcom’s Director of Market Intelligence, said: “But while live TV may not have the universal pull it once did, its role in capturing those big moments that bring the nation together remains vital.”
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Four distinctions that prevent misreading
Most confusion about this topic comes from treating these categories as one. Ofcom keeps them separate, and so should any article or headline built on the data.
| Category | Meaning | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Live linear broadcast | Watching a channel as it is transmitted | Counting all TV-set viewing as live TV |
| Recorded playback and broadcaster video-on-demand (BVoD) | Watching broadcaster programmes after transmission, including catch-up | Treating these as live TV, or as separate from broadcaster content |
| SVoD/AVoD | Subscription and ad-supported on-demand services | Merging them with broadcaster content |
| Video-sharing platforms (VSPs) | Platforms such as YouTube, where most content is user-uploaded | Describing them as “TV” because the screen is a television |
The TV set is a device, not a category of content. A young person watching a streaming service or YouTube on a television is still using a TV set, but is not watching traditional broadcast television.
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- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
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What the measurements can and cannot show
- The age band is not Gen Z. Ofcom’s measure covers ages 16–24. Gen Z is usually dated to people born from the late 1990s to the early 2010s, so it includes younger teenagers and excludes people in their late twenties.
- Averages describe groups, not individuals. The figures do not show that every young adult avoids broadcast channels, and many do watch them.
- Weekly reach is not total viewing. A person who watched 15 minutes of broadcast TV in a week counts toward the 45%, whatever their total viewing.
- The in-home measure is limited. The 2025 report’s all-device analysis covers viewing on TV sets and other devices using the home’s Wi-Fi. It does not capture mobile data viewing or viewing away from home.
- Some categories include unmeasured activity. The report’s “other TV set usage” category contains activity that is not fully measured, so shares based on it should be read cautiously.
- The sources describe patterns, not causes. Price, convenience and programme quality are plausible explanations, but the reviewed Ofcom material does not establish which of them drives the change.
Ofcom draws on audience measurement data, including Barb, for its broadcast figures. Figures from the most recent full annual report should be checked against Ofcom’s website, since later editions may have been published after the 2025 report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Wording that fits the evidence
Ofcom uses terms such as “traditional TV,” “broadcast TV,” “live TV,” and “video-sharing platforms.” These are accurate descriptors and useful for search. However, Ofcom’s phrases such as “first port of call” are editorial commentary, not survey responses from young people, so they should not be presented as direct audience quotes. When writing about young adults, use the 16–24 band and name the year, and do not extend a single-year figure into a permanent description of a generation.
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Why this matters for documentary viewers
Much UK factual programming is commissioned for, and scheduled on, the main public service broadcasters. For that reason, the drop in live broadcast viewing among young adults is relevant to how documentaries are discovered and watched, especially when they are first shown. The 19% broadcaster share of in-home viewing for 16–24-year-olds implies that most of this audience’s screen time is elsewhere. Documentary makers and commissioners who want younger audiences therefore need to consider on-demand catalogues and video-sharing platforms alongside the live schedule, rather than treating broadcast transmission as the main route to reach them.
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