Netflix and BBC top choices for UK TV viewers
In the annual Media Nations report from Ofcom, 26% of viewers said Netflix was their top pick when wanting to find something to watch, with the BBC on 25% and ITV on 15%, according to Ofcom Adult’s PSM Tracker 2025/26. Interviewing and surveys were carried out between April 2025 and March 2026.
However, a 9% year-on-year increase in viewing of broadcaster-owned on-demand services, such as BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4 Streaming, made these platforms the fastest-growing category in the UK, with subscription services’ presence in UK homes having plateaued at around 70% of the population.
Netflix had the two most watched programmes of 2025, as measured by Barb, with K-Pop Demon Hunters and Adolescence, but the BBC claimed eight of the top 10 most watched programmes of 2026 so far, with the FIFA World Cup and The Traitors performing well.
YouTube is also increasing its audience, according to data from Barb, with the average daily YouTube viewing through television sets rising from nine minutes per person in 2022 to 19 minutes in 2025.
The UK audio sector had the highest reach of any media sector, said data from Rajar, with 93% of adults listening to some form of audio content every week and 87% listening to weekly live radio.
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