More people in the UK now access news online than on television, according to new survey data from the media regulator Ofcom. This is the first time Ofcom's annual news consumption poll has found online media use ahead of TV news.
The immediate press reaction to the survey suggested that television is in terminal decline, with online media replacing TV news. Ofcom itself pitted one format against another by declaring in the study's headline: "TV loses its crown as main source for news."
Yet rather than the survey reflecting a "generational shift" in audience behavior, the truth is it has been going on for decades.
The rise of smartphones has fueled more consumption of news directly on apps, including social media. This is part of a broader trend in how media has permeated our lives. Where once people slept more than they used media, today they spend more time—estimated at well over eight hours per day—consuming a wide range of new and old media.
But as opposed to greater online media consumption signaling the death of television news, the box in the corner has proved highly resilient. In 2024, Ofcom's survey showed 70% of people said they used TV to access news, a fall of just 5% since 2019. By contrast, two-thirds of respondents used online media to access news five years ago, compared with 71% in the latest survey.
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