BBC One had the greatest weekly reach among the BBC's television services in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. All channels in the ranking experienced a decline in audience reach over the past years. The BBC celebrates its 100th birthday and enters a period of uncertainty The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the public broadcasting service of the United Kingdom and the oldest broadcasting organization worldwide. It was established in London on October 18, 1922, but after an entire century on air, the BBC now enters an uncertain future in terms of funding. Around 70 percent of the BBC's annual income is generated via license fees, but as the government announced the termination of this tax by 2027, the BBC will have to explore new avenues to stay afloat. So what will the future hold for the BBC and its programming now that consumers will no longer be required to pay the annual fee? Sources speculate that funding alternatives could include a subscription service, part-privatization, or direct government funding. The portfolio goes with the (digital) flow The BBC operates several television channels in the UK and worldwide, including the news-only channel BBC News and the politics-centered BBC Parliament. As of 2024, BBC One remained the company's flagship service, and data showed that the lion's share of the BBC's total television programming spending was allocated towards BBC One content that year. In addition to offering cross-genre television and radio broadcasts, the corporation keeps expanding its range of online services to resonate with audiences in the UK and abroad. The BBC runs a designated news platform alongside the on-demand video streaming platform BBC iPlayer.

BBC Top Gear magazine had an average monthly reach of around 1.4 million individuals in the United Kingdom from April 2019 to March 2020. Reach was higher among men, with over 1.1 million men reached by the print title or its website during this period.

In 2023, there were around 27.4 million households in the United Kingdom (UK) that had televisions, a number that has continued to grow annually since 2013. In the UK, the average consumer spent 158 minutes per day watching TV in 2022, with those aged over 65 years spending the most time in front of the box. Compared to other European countries, UK viewers spent less than the average watching TV. Leading stations As of 2022/2023, BBC One had a reach of 55 percent. Unsurprisingly, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had the highest audience share of UK TV broadcasters. Smart TV It is now very hard to purchase a new television in the UK without it being smart. As of 2023, the household penetration rate of smart TV sets was over 70 percent. Essentially, a smart television is a TV that has a connection to the internet. This then allows viewers to have access to streaming brands such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu through their TV set.

The shift in media consumption habits in the United Kingdom is evident, with digital platforms gaining ground over traditional formats. By 2026, consumers in the country are projected to spend over six hours daily on digital media, while traditional media usage is expected to decline to just over three hours. This trend reflects a broader transformation in how people engage with content and information in the digital age. Digital dominance reshapes the entertainment landscape The entertainment and media market in the UK is poised for significant growth, with projections indicating a four-percent compound annual growth rate between 2024 and 2028, potentially reaching 121 billion British pounds. This expansion is driven by changing consumer preferences, particularly in digital media consumption. This is evident, when it comes to video viewing time – traditional sources such as broadcaster TV are losing popularity in favor of YouTube and VOD. And so, digital platforms continue to lead the way in capturing audience attention and market share. Video at the helm of consumers'entertainment time Social media and video streaming platforms are neck-and-neck in capturing user engagement in the UK. As of May 2023, both TikTok and Netflix users spent an average of 58 minutes daily on their respective platforms. This parity highlights the presence of many forms of digital video in the daily lives of UK consumers. However, while subscription-based video services maintain a strong presence, there's a growing trend towards free, ad-supported options. Broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) providers, particularly BBC iPlayer, are gaining traction among all online TV platforms, indicating a shift in viewer preferences and potentially reshaping the streaming landscape.

The final of the UEFA European Championship Italy vs. England, broadcast on both ITV and BBC on July 11, 2021, recorded on average 29.85 million viewers. England's semi-final victory over Denmark achieved an average viewing figure of 19.8 million for ITV.

The Wimbledon Championships is not just one of the biggest, but also the oldest tennis tournament worldwide. In 2023, there were 54.3 million streams of the tournament in the United Kingdom on the BBC's iPlayer and Sport platforms. Meanwhile, the men's singles final, which saw Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic, attracted a peak audience of 11.3 million. How many visitors attend Wimbledon? The Championships are held across 14 days and attract a high volume of visitors. In 2023, the attendance at Wimbledon reached over 530 thousand, roughly 17 thousand more than the previous year. Duly, Wimbledon provides a large revenue stream to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the governing body of tennis in Great Britain, which reached nearly 50 million British pounds in 2022. How much does it cost to attend Wimbledon? Wimbledon is one of the biggest events in the UK's sporting calendar, with the price of a seat at Wimbledon's Centre Court costing up to 275 British pounds on the final two days of the competition. Meanwhile, a ground pass costs between 20 and 30 British pounds a day, granting its holder access to selected courts and areas such as "Murray Mound". Visitors also have the opportunity to secure tickets to Centre Court for five years in a row, however, the price of debenture tickets for Wimbledon can cost up to 125 thousand British pounds.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the station BBC Radio 2 ranked first in terms of listener reach with roughly 13.28 million listeners tuning in on a weekly basis. BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 1 followed, each with over seven million listeners per week.

During the third quarter of 2024, internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) spent an average over five and a half hours per day accessing the internet via any device. UK online audiences spent approximately one hour and 37 minutes per day on social media, while an additional 50 minutes were devoted to using a gaming console daily. Traditional media - is usage declining? Some forms of traditional media in the country are in decline more than others when it comes to usage, which is especially visible in the case of TV. In recent years the number of TV households in the UK has remained fairly unchanged, however, the time spent watching television has been constantly decreasing. Interestingly, radio listenership has not followed this trend. Digital radio format usage is growing as per some studies. Yet, live radio dominates the time spent with any audio in the UK by a large margin.British radio is a showcase for the loyalty of its fans. In mid-2023, after 30 years of employment at BBC, Ken Bruce, one of the highest-earning presenters of the company, left to work at a rival radio station. He took both of his signature programs to his new employer. Even though BBC Radio 2 remains the leading radio station in the UK by audience numbers, Bruce’s departure meant a loss of a million listeners for the BBC between the first and second quarters of 2023.