For the first time in history, more people in the UK are turning to online platforms than television for their daily news, according to an annual survey by the communications regulator Ofcom. The shift underscores the growing dominance of digital news sources as 71% of the population reported using online services for news, compared to 70% for traditional TV bulletins.

Rise of Digital News Consumption

The survey shows that online news consumption has been on a steady rise, increasing from 68% in the previous year to 71% this year. Social media platforms have played a significant role in this shift, with usage for news rising from 47% to 52%. Among younger audiences, especially those aged 16 to 24, social media is overwhelmingly popular, with 82% reporting they use it as their primary source of news.

Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were the most frequently mentioned platforms for accessing news online. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has now become the second most-used news source in the UK, with 40% of people saying they rely on its platforms for news updates.

BBC Still Dominates News Landscape

Despite the shift to digital platforms, the BBC continues to hold its position as the leading news provider in the UK. According to the survey, 68% of respondents said they turn to the BBC for their news, although a deeper analysis of actual user behavior suggests that BBC News reaches 75% of the UK population on a weekly basis. This distinction highlights the difference between self-reported habits and actual consumption patterns.

The BBC’s online presence, however, has seen a slight decline, with usage dropping from 22% to 18% over the last year. Nevertheless, the BBC remains a significant player in the global digital news space, boasting 1.2 billion website visits in a single month, according to the UK Press Gazette.

Traditional News Platforms Face Decline

As digital platforms continue to grow, traditional media outlets are witnessing a noticeable decline in usage. TV news, long the dominant source of information, saw a drop from 75% to 70% over the last year. Newspapers, both print and digital, also experienced a decline, with their usage falling from 39% to 34%.

Notably, even among older demographics—traditionally the most loyal readers of print newspapers—there was a decline. The number of people over the age of 55 who reported reading a print newspaper fell from 38% to 32% within the past year.

YouTube Emerges as a Major News Platform

One of the most significant trends in the survey was the rise of YouTube as a source of news. In 2023, only 7% of respondents said they used YouTube for news. However, this year, that number surged to 19%, making it one of the fastest-growing platforms for news consumption in the UK. Ofcom attributed this increase to changes in how YouTube was categorized in previous surveys.

The Future of News Consumption

As more people turn to online platforms for their news, traditional media outlets face increasing pressure to adapt. However, despite the growing dominance of digital news, television still retains a strong audience, with 43% of respondents saying they rely on BBC One for news, making it the single most mentioned news source in the survey.

(Adapted from BBC.com)