The latest annual report from Ofcom on the BBC demonstrates that the increasing popularity of BBC iPlayer is now supporting overall BBC television viewing, even as traditional broadcast audiences experience a continuous decline. In its eighth annual report on the BBC, which also serves as the second Periodic Review of the corporation’s Charter performance, Ofcom states that the BBC remains widely used and generally well-regarded. In 2024/25, 83% of UK adults used at least one BBC service each week, and 60% expressed overall satisfaction.
The regulator uses data from Barb and Media Nations to highlight the shifting dynamics between linear channels and broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD). In 2024, the increase in time spent watching BBC iPlayer resulted in a slight rise in total BBC video viewing, while linear viewing of BBC channels remained largely stable.
BVOD has now surpassed recorded playback of live channels across the market. UK audiences spent an average of 25 minutes per day watching BVOD in 2024, compared to 23 minutes for recordings. Specifically for the BBC, 22% of viewing of its television content now occurs via BBC iPlayer, up from 14% in 2022. This shift is even more pronounced among younger viewers, with half of all BBC viewing by 16–24s now happening on iPlayer, the highest BVOD share of any UK broadcaster.
Despite this growth, linear TV remains dominant for many demographics and genres. Ofcom notes that broadcast television and BVOD together still constitute the majority of in-home video, with broadcaster content accounting for 56% of all viewing in 2024. The BBC remains the most-watched service overall, accounting for 19% of total in-home video viewing across all platforms, ahead of YouTube and other broadcasters.
National and regional news, films, soaps, and specialist factual content show the least migration to on-demand, indicating a continued preference for linear delivery in these areas. Regarding product strategy, Ofcom emphasizes the BBC’s plans to utilize artificial intelligence within iPlayer to improve personalization and recommendations, positioning the service as a digital-first hub rather than simply a catch-up platform.
The corporation is already experimenting with streaming-first and box-set release strategies to drive audiences to iPlayer, while major sports events on BBC One and BBC Two continue to anchor live linear viewing. In addition to usage and distribution, Ofcom dedicates significant attention to news and trust. The BBC has remained the UK’s most-used news source during the Charter period. May 2025 research shows that 70% of regular BBC TV news viewers rate it highly for accuracy and 68% for trust.
However, the report also points to a “significant crisis” in editorial decision-making in news and current affairs, and warns the Board and Executive to act more quickly and transparently when failures occur. Looking ahead to Charter renewal, Ofcom argues that the regulatory framework should be updated to give the BBC more flexibility to deliver across “traditional linear services and online,” while still holding it robustly to account.
Ofcom wants the corporation to deepen engagement with less-satisfied audiences, particularly lower-income groups, continue to innovate and take risks – including on third-party platforms – and build on its Across the UK strategy and media-literacy work.