** percent of UK respondents answer our survey on "Print media usage" with *******. The survey was conducted in 2025, among 5,454 consumers. Looking to gain valuable insights about print media consumers worldwide? Check out our reports on newspapers and magazine readers. These reports give readers a thorough picture of people who consume this form of print media, including their identities, preferences, opinions, and methods of communication.

** percent of UK respondents answer our survey on "Most used media services" with ****. The survey was conducted in 2025, among 2,615 consumers.

Social media platforms are integral to people's lives, offering ways to communicate, create and view content and share information. According to Ofcom, approximately 89% of UK internet users in 2023 used social media apps or sites. Teenagers and young adults are the biggest users, although there is rapid uptake among older age groups. Advertising is the primary revenue source for social media platforms, although subscription-based services are gaining momentum as platforms seek to diversify their incomes. TikTok is the success story of the last few years, becoming the most downloaded app between 2020 and 2022, according to Apptopia. The short-form video platform reported that it averaged revenue growth of over 450% between 2019 and 2022. After Musk's takeover, X, formerly known as Twitter, adjusted its content moderation and allowed previously banned accounts to return. As a result, over 600 advertisers have pulled their ads from the site because of fears their brand may be associated with malcontent. In response to falling ad revenue, X has introduced a subscription-based service which enables users to verify themselves and boosts the number of people who view their tweets. Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have responded by introducing a similar service. Revenue is expected to grow by 14.3% in 2024-25, constrained by a slowdown in user growth for most major social media platforms. Over the five years through 2024-25, revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 32.8% to reach £9.8 billion. Looking forward, regulations relating to how data is collected, stored, and shared will force advertisers and platforms to rethink how they can target their desired demographics. The rising prominence of AI will require the introduction of adequate regulations. The Online Safety Bill sets out new guidelines for social media platforms to abide by, with hefty fines in store for those who do not. Operating costs will swell as platforms look to meet consumers’ expectations, weighing on profit. Over the five years through 2029-30, social media platforms' revenue is projected to climb at an estimated 9.4% to reach £15.4 billion.

In recent years, the traditional revenue model of UK newspaper publishers has plummeted amid falling demand for print media and considerable declines in advertising revenue dedicated to newspapers. The transformation from print to digital has proved difficult, with publishers still attempting to adapt to the online market and most news brands failing to make a profit. UK newspaper publishers have traditionally had two revenue channels consisting of print advertising and newspaper sales, both of which have contracted over recent years. As newspaper sales have fallen, advertisers have cut print advertising budgets in favour of digital marketing, which is able to target specific audiences. Furthermore, consumers are proving reluctant to pay for content that is available for free and are increasingly accessing news through social media websites. UK newspaper circulation continues to decline sharply. PressGazette reports a 12.5% drop in national print circulation in the year to May 2025. This sustained fall has eroded industry revenues in recent years. Newspaper publishers have responded by cutting staff numbers, experimenting with paywalls and introducing free newspapers, but have been unable to halt the decline. Over the five years through 2025-26, industry revenue is anticipated to slump at a compound annual rate of 6.8% to £2.8 billion, including a forecast drop of 5.7% in 2025-26. Over the five years through 2030-31, industry revenue is forecast to contract at a compound annual rate of 4.1% to £2.3 billion. The newspaper publishing industry is projected to shrink, losing ground to other news sources, primarily online. The price of newsprint is also expected to remain high in the coming years, further pressuring newspaper publishers’ profitability. With sales spread so thin and limited online income, newspapers will likely see consolidations in the near future. Newspaper publishers will likely continue to engage in major restructuring to cut costs and will continue to diversify their online news products.

The news agency industry's core services are researching and providing original news stories, but prepared video and audio are becoming increasingly important income streams. Revenue has been negatively affected by declining newspaper publishing demand and changing attitudes toward news consumption. Revenue is forecast to contract at a compound annual rate of 7.3% over the five years through 2024-25 to £2 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic hit income in 2020-21; demand from newspaper and magazine publishers dropped owing to lockdowns, social distancing measures and forced closures of businesses. Revenue is forecast to dip by 2.2% in 2024-25 as people continue to read news articles online, which has threatened TV, radio and magazines audiences, lowering spending on original news stories. News agencies have cut the average price of content licenses to stabilise subscriptions. By Q2 2023, Eyeo reported that active ad-blocking users globally rose by 11% since Q4 2021. This surge in ad-blocker use reduces online advertisement views and profitability for publishers, impacting their revenue streams. The average price of a news agency content licence has dropped to maintain subscriptions, limiting profitability. Revenue is forecast to fall at a compound annual rate of 0.4% over the five years through 2029-30 to £2 billion. The continued adoption of free digital content will likely negate the need for news agencies, harming income opportunities. News agencies will adapt to online business models, supporting revenue and improving efficiency. Short-form video and audio content will continue to thrive on social networks as more publishers use these methods to boost viewership and engage audiences through quick, impactful storytelling. Meanwhile, VR headsets, metaverse expansions, and AI advancements equip news agencies with innovative tools for richer storytelling and immersive audience experiences. However, compared with the rest of the developed world, the willingness of the UK population to pay for news content is low and this is likely to persist.

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 *** hours daily on digital media, while traditional media usage is expected to decline to just over ***** 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 ****-percent compound annual growth rate between 2024 and 2028, potentially reaching *** 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 ** 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.

Any internet was the most used platform for news consumption in the United Kingdom among all nations in 2024. However, television was also a very popular choice and could soon overtake internet as the main news source. Meanwhile, social media was more popular in Scotland and England than in Wales or Northern Ireland. Where do TV audiences get their news? BBC One remained the most popular TV news channel in the UK that year, with an audience reach of ** percent. BBC One, which is part of the television service portfolio of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has held the lion’s share of TV news watching hours in the UK for over a decade. Online news platforms are stealing the show While television remains the leading news source among adults, younger audiences primarily turn to the internet for news consumption. According to a recent survey, almost ** percent of UK news consumers between the ages of 18 to 24 considered the internet their leading news platform, and as of 2020, roughly ** percent of the UK population read or downloaded news content online. Among those who got their news coverage from online sources, BBC News stood out as the leading online news brand accessed in the UK that year.

The industry includes the printing of products, like newspapers, books, periodicals, business forms and greeting cards and other activities like bookbinding, plate-making services, and data imaging. Companies engage in a variety of printing processes to transfer an image from a plate, screen, or computer file to a medium, such as paper, plastics, metal, textile articles or wood. The industry also includes the reproduction of recorded media, like compact discs, video recordings, software on discs or tapes and records.

Employment statistics on the Social Media Platforms industry in the UK

The UK entertainment and media market size reached USD 128 Billion in 2024. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach USD 194.8 Billion by 2033, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 4.78% during 2025-2033. The market is booming due to the country's continuous digital transformation, increased internet penetration, rising consumer spending on experiences, the growing importance of social media platforms, and significant growth in online advertising.

IMARC Group provides an analysis of the key trends in each segment of the market, along with forecasts at the country level for 2025-2033. Our report has categorized the market based on product and revenue type.

Number of Businesses statistics on the Social Media Platforms industry in the UK

Forecast: Recorded Media Imports to the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The dataset is based on a content analysis study of both left-wing and right-wing alternative media sites between 2015 and 2018. For left-wing sites, this included The Canary, The Skwawkbox, Evolve Politics, Another Angry Voice and Novara Media, and for right-wing sites, Guido Fawkes, Breitbart London, Westmonster and The Conservative Woman. Our sample was chosen on the basis of identifying the most influential alternative online political media sites in the UK. The broad aim of this study was to identify how both left-wing and right-wing alternative media reported mainstream media over time. Since some of the left-wing sites, which have gained most prominence in the UK, were launched post 2015, our study assessed whether their editorial focus and nature of coverage had changed. Overall, the study examined 3452 items, and quantified the degree and nature of critique towards mainstream media. We examined three-week sample periods each year between 2015 and 2018 (6–25 October 2015; 9–29 October 2016; 30 April–7 June 2017; and 8–28 October 2018.). We included analysing the general election campaign over a six week period (rather than three weeks) because it reflected an important period in the UK’s democracy, and represented a moment in time when alternative left-wing media were considered to be especially influential. The dataset was examined in two ways. The first data file contains content analysis data on the publication date, headline and article author, along with if content Opinion- or fact-driven content, the topic, if it was about policy coverage, the party political focus and sentiment. The second data file content analysis began by assessing the degree to which mainstream media was part of routine coverage over four years (N = 3452). This provided us with a subsample of 665 articles, which we examined in more depth and detail. The data file thus examined every mention of a news media organisation (including different references to outlets within an article) and then examine four areas: The media entity, The media organisation, the sentiment and finally criticism or praise type.

United Kingdom OTT Media Services Market was valued at USD 14.34 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to grow USD 19.35 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 5.18% during forecast period.

This report provides a summary of findings from Ofcom’s Annual Media Tracker survey. The research explores UK adults’ attitudes and opinions towards television and radio broadcasting, and related areas such as news consumption and privacy

Indicators from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) related to people’s social media use and attitudes towards elections in Great Britain.

Forecast: Media and Entertainment Output in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Media and Entertainment Gross Value Added in the UK 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!