Live TV viewing is continuing its downward trend, according to Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2020.
The weekly reach of TV declined from 88.5% in 2018 to 86.3% in 2019. Daily viewing also fell from an average 3 hours 12 minutes per day in 2018 to 3 hours 3 minutes in 2019. The decline was most notable among audiences (Aged 16-24) who watched 1 hour 9 minutes compared to their elders, aged 75 and over, who watched almost six hours daily.
Revenue from SVOD services grew 27% year on year to £1.7bn, accounting for more than half of online viewing.
Total hours across the six largest UK platforms reaching 152,304 in 2019, up from 138,986 in 2018. half (54%) of online video revenue in the UK.
Total commercial broadcast revenue in the UK in 2019 was £10.8 billion as revenues from online video advertising and SVOD revenue offsetting declines in pay-TV and TV advertising revenue.
The 4% decline was steeper across the smaller channels that make up the digital multichannel sector. Commercial PSBs also continued to see their revenues fall in real terms.
Growth in viewing online video is contributing to some of the increased data use, as is the increase in connected devices. One in five households now have a smart speaker. More than half of households now have a smart TV, and almost two-thirds of households now have their TV connected to the internet in some way.
