Television was by far the most used platform for news consumption among all nations in the United Kingdom in 2020, with 75 percent of adults in England, Scotland, and Wales using it for this purpose. The internet was also a popular choice, followed by social media and radio.
Where do TV audiences get their news?
According to a 2020 survey, television was the leading platform for news consumption across the UK, with 77 percent of respondents from all nations stating that they used it to access the news. The same survey revealed that BBC One remained the most popular TV news channel in the UK that year, with an audience reach of 75 percent. BBC One, which is part of the television service portfolio of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has held the lion’s share of TV news watching hours in the UK for over a decade.
Online news platforms are stealing the show
While television remains the leading news source among adults, younger audiences primarily turn to the internet for news consumption. According to a recent survey, almost 80 percent of UK news consumers between the ages of 18 to 24 considered the internet their leading news platform, and as of 2020, roughly 70 percent of the UK population read or downloaded news content online. Among those who got their news coverage from online sources, BBC News stood out as the leading online news brand accessed in the UK that year.
Main platforms used for news consumption in the United Kingdom as of March 2021, by nation
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Ofcom. (July 27, 2021). Main platforms used for news consumption in the United Kingdom as of March 2021, by nation [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/278519/platforms-used-for-news-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Ofcom. "Main platforms used for news consumption in the United Kingdom as of March 2021, by nation." Chart. July 27, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 22, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/278519/platforms-used-for-news-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Ofcom. (2021). Main platforms used for news consumption in the United Kingdom as of March 2021, by nation. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 22, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/278519/platforms-used-for-news-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Ofcom. "Main Platforms Used for News Consumption in The United Kingdom as of March 2021, by Nation." Statista, Statista Inc., 27 Jul 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/278519/platforms-used-for-news-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Ofcom, Main platforms used for news consumption in the United Kingdom as of March 2021, by nation Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/278519/platforms-used-for-news-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/ (last visited May 22, 2022)
