Children are now heading to YouTube from the moment they turn on the television, in the latest sign of the video platform’s migration from the laptop to the living room.
YouTube is the most popular first TV destination for generation Alpha, according to a comprehensive survey of the UK’s viewing habits by Ofcom, the communications regulator.
One in five young TV viewers aged from four to 15 turned straight to the platform last year. The survey showed Netflix close behind. While BBC One was in the top five first destinations, children were just as likely to choose BBC iPlayer.
YouTube’s increasing presence on televisions is not just down to the very young. In a gradual cultural shift, viewers aged 55 and over watched almost twice as much YouTube content last year as they did in 2023, up from six minutes a day to 11 minutes a day. An increasing proportion of that – 42% – is viewed through a TV set.
Overall, viewers spent an average of 39 minutes a day on YouTube in 2024. The platform is now the second most-watched service in the UK, behind the BBC but ahead of ITV.
Those aged 16 to 24 watched just 17 minutes of traditional, live television a day last year. Only 45% of them tuned into any broadcast TV in an average week, down from 48% in 2023.
YouTube has evolved to become a closer competitor for traditional broadcasters. Half of the platform’s top-trending videos now resemble the content of mainstream broadcasters, including long-form interviews and gameshows.
The rise of YouTube is presenting a major challenge for public service broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, who have to decide how much of their content to place on the platform.
While doing so helps them reach new and younger audiences, YouTube also takes a huge chunk of advertising revenue. There is also a risk that putting shows on YouTube ensures viewers spend less time on a broadcaster’s own platforms.
A 12-year-old girl does a Joe Wicks YouTube morning workout session. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian
“Public service broadcasters are recognising this shift, moving to meet audiences in the online spaces where they increasingly spend their time,” said Ed Leighton, Ofcom’s interim group director for strategy and research. “But we need to see even more ambition in this respect to ensure that public service media that audiences value survives long into the future.”
Ofcom has already told “endangered” broadcasters they should work with YouTube to place more of their content on the platform, but it has also said this must be done “on fair commercial terms”.
Michael Grade, Ofcom’s chair and a former head of Channel 4, said ministers should look at new laws forcing YouTube to give content from Britain’s public service broadcasters more prominence.
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Channel 4 has gone the furthest in placing its content on YouTube. Executives insist it is only helping them reach new viewers, rather than cannibalising its own platforms. ITV also announced a new deal with YouTube at the end of last year.
While there is a live debate within the BBC over how much content to place on YouTube, more of its coverage is set to be featured on the site. Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, told staff this week that the head of the corporation’s new AI department would also be responsible for “driving growth off platform with a focus on our YouTube strategy and younger audiences”.
The amount of time people are watching video content every week is holding steady. Overall, the average person watched four hours, 30 minutes a day at home last year, just a minute less than the previous year.
Content from traditional broadcasters still accounts for most viewing, making up 56% of the total. However, the proportion has fallen significantly, from 71% in 2018.
YouTube is also the most popular online audio service, used by 47% of UK adults each week, followed by Spotify, used by 36%. Podcasts are now increasingly streamed on YouTube – a sign of its impact right across the media.