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Viewers shun traditional TV after brief Covid comeback

Ofcom says the “long-term decline” of public service broadcasters has resumed – but advertising revenues are still high
August 19, 2022
  • New ITV streaming service to launch this autumn
  • TV channels struggling to engage young viewers

Ofcom’s latest report on UK viewing habits is not a comfortable read for television stalwarts like ITV (ITV). While the average person watches a whopping five hours and 16 minutes of television and video each day, the communications regulator noted a “long-term trend of decline” among traditional broadcasters. 

They still have a hefty market share: we spent almost three hours a day watching broadcaster content on our TV sets in 2021, including live shows, on-demand programmes and recordings. However, this is 20 minutes fewer than in 2020 and 10 minutes fewer than in 2019, and viewing times continue to tumble. 

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