Media Nations 2023

03 August 2023

This is Ofcom’s sixth annual Media Nations report, a research report for industry, policymakers, academics and consumers.

The main objectives of the report are to review key trends in the media sector and set out how audiences are served in the UK. We adopt a cross-platform perspective, including broadcast TV and radio, as well as digital delivery including online video and audio streaming.

We publish separate reports for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales covering specific themes and issues relevant to those nations.

Media Nations: the reports

Media Nations 2023: UK (PDF, 2.3 MB)

Key points

  • Overall viewing of TV and video continued to fall in 2022, although broadcasters maintained their share due in part to growth in viewing to their on-demand platforms
  • Both reach and viewing of broadcast TV fell by significant margins in 2022, and the number of broadcast programmes attracting mass audiences is in steep decline
  • Following a strong 2021 rebound, revenues for commercial broadcasters fell slightly in 2022 in a difficult economic environment
  • Broadcasters generally returned to full production schedules in 2022, with an increase in first-run PSB originations, although some lasting pandemic impacts remain
  • The SVoD market is maturing, with household take-up seemingly approaching a plateau and providers seeking to maintain revenue growth by evolving their business models
  • Continued growth in local advertising and sponsorships is fuelling commercial radio, with AM switch-offs and a shift to DAB providing additional cost savings and greater access to audiences
  • Overall reach of live radio remains high as listening continues to shift to online, while other forms of audio like music streaming and podcasts are more popular with younger listeners

Nations reports

Other documents

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