In 2020, a year after the sitcom Gavin and Stacey dominated the list of most viewed television programs in the United Kingdom, the "Prime Ministerial Statement" of Boris Johnson emerged as the most viewed TV program . Its viewer count totaled nearly 19 million, outstripping reality shows "BBC News Special" and "I'm A Celebrity..." in second and third places by a wide margin of nearly 5 million individuals.
TV ownership in the United Kingdom
The number of adults who own a digital TV in the United Kingdom has increased over the years, with 94 percent in 2019 owning one. Unsurprisingly, the percentage of individuals who did was lower among 16 to 24 year olds but only by a marginal 3 percent. Over 55 year olds as a group had the highest percentage of TV ownership overall. By 2019, TV in the United Kingdom had a higher reach among women and children than men.
The future of broadcast TV advertising
In 2019, television advertising prices were forecasted to continue increasing until 2020. This hasn’t been an indication of growth however, as broadcast TV has been steadily loosing its audience due to the rise of video-on-demand services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, as well as the increasing popularity of YouTube. In a survey run from 2017 to 2019, viewing time decreased year by year for live TV, as more and more viewership time is being spent on video-on-demand platforms, YouTube, and catch-up-TV. This decline of live TV is also reflected in the reduction of broadcast TV commercial reach, which was dropped since 2016with fewer and fewer viewers watching ads in their entirety each year.
Most-watched TV programs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020
(viewing audience in millions)
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BARB, & Thinkbox. (March 24, 2021). Most-watched TV programs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 (viewing audience in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 01, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272736/most-watched-programmes-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
BARB, und Thinkbox. "Most-watched TV programs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 (viewing audience in millions)." Chart. March 24, 2021. Statista. Accessed September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272736/most-watched-programmes-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
BARB, Thinkbox. (2021). Most-watched TV programs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 (viewing audience in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272736/most-watched-programmes-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
BARB, and Thinkbox. "Most-watched Tv Programs in The United Kingdom (Uk) in 2020 (Viewing Audience in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Mar 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/272736/most-watched-programmes-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
BARB & Thinkbox, Most-watched TV programs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 (viewing audience in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/272736/most-watched-programmes-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/ (last visited September 01, 2024)
Most-watched TV programs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 (viewing audience in millions) [Graph], BARB, & Thinkbox, March 24, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/272736/most-watched-programmes-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/