UK Adults Now Prefer Online News Over TV, Reveals Ofcom Data

Recent data released by telecommunications regulator Ofcom shows that more than seven in ten UK adults (71%) now read their news online rather than watching it on TV (70%), with the regulator describing the findings as indicative of a “generational shift” in news consumption.

Ofcom cites social media as a key driver of this change: more than half (52%) of UK adults get their news via social media, up from 47% in 2023. The most popular platforms for consuming news are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and X.

However, traditional news sources still trump their online competitors on key criteria such as reliability, accuracy and impartiality. BBC One remains the largest news source, used by 43% of adults, but this is a sharp drop from 58% in 2019. Channel 4 has fallen out of the top 10 news sources.

Ofcom said it was reviewing public media content, with a focus on news. The agency will look at how public broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV serve their news audiences and consider regulatory or legal changes to support them.

Yih-Choung The, Ofcom’s director of strategy and research, said: “Television has dominated people’s news viewing habits since the 1960s and still has very high levels of trust. However, we are seeing a generational shift to online news, which is often perceived as less trustworthy.”

Among 16-24 year olds, social media is the leading news source. Instagram ranks #1 with about 4/10 users, while TikTok is used by about 1/3 of younger audiences. For the 15-16 age group, TikTok is the largest news source.

Ofcom’s findings highlight the changing landscape of news consumption in the UK, with online news sources becoming increasingly popular among younger audiences.