WIREDGOV

People in Northern Ireland are watching less broadcast television on average per day than viewers in the rest of the UK, research from Ofcom finds. 

• Broadcast TV viewing down by almost an hour since 2010
• Year-on-year decline bigger than for any other UK Nation
• Viewing moving online, with Netflix the most popular streaming service
• I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here most-watched programme of 2017

In 2017, viewers in Northern Ireland spent a daily average of 3 hours 18 minutes watching broadcast television on the TV set, falling below the UK average for the first time.[1]

This is 17 minutes less per day than in 2016 (-7.9%) – representing the biggest year on year decline in TV viewing of all the UK nations – and is down 52 minutes (-20%) since 2010.

The decline is even steeper among children and viewers aged 16 to 34 in Northern Ireland, whose broadcast television viewing on the TV set has declined rapidly in recent years.

In 2017, youngsters aged 4 to 15 watched 1 hour and 25 minutes of broadcast TV each day, down from 2 hours 57 minutes in 2010 (-52%). Similarly, 16 to 34-year-olds watched 1 hour 51 minutes of broadcast TV per day in 2017, compared with 3 hours 23 minutes in 2010 (-45%).

This means that the over-55s in Northern Ireland watched nearly four times as much broadcast television per day than children in 2017.

The findings are part of Ofcom’s Media Nations: Northern Ireland 2018 report (PDF, 3.8 MB), a comprehensive study of trends in the television, radio and audio sectors, published today.

Viewing in Northern Ireland moving online

Although people in Northern Ireland are watching less broadcast television, they are spending more time watching other things on their TV set.

Daily viewing of non-broadcast content, such as YouTube and subscription on-demand services including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, increased by six minutes (19%) in 2017, to 37 minutes.

More than half of adults in Northern Ireland (55%) now claim to use online streaming services. Among these, Netflix was the most popular (29%), followed by the BBC iPlayer (22%) and YouTube (14%).

Jonathan Rose, Director of Ofcom Northern Ireland, said: “Today’s research shows that the way people in Northern Ireland watch TV is changing rapidly.

“Viewers are spending less time watching ‘traditional’ broadcast TV, particularly younger audiences whose viewing time has halved. Instead, they are increasingly turning to online streaming services, attracted by their exclusive programmes and vast libraries of classic shows.

“Broadcasters in Northern Ireland must face head-on the challenges posed by both online competitors and the changing way people are watching television, to ensure they continue to make great programmes to appeal to viewers in Northern Ireland in the digital age.”

Other key findings from the report include:

• In 2017, the BBC and UTV spent a combined £28.6m on first-run, UK-made programmes for viewers in Northern Ireland, an 11% real-terms decrease year-on-year. This decrease was driven by the BBC, which reduced its annual programming spend by 14%, while UTV’s spend declined by 1%;
• Viewers in Northern Ireland continue to value public service broadcasting content, with 69% of viewers either satisfied or very satisfied. This compares with a UK average of 75%, 75% in England, 72% in Wales and 71% in Scotland.
• The opening episode of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here was the most-watched broadcast programme in Northern Ireland in 2017, with an audience of 409,000 and a viewing share of over 53%;
• The 2018 comedy, Derry Girls, became Northern Ireland’s most popular series ever, according to Channel 4. It attracted an average of 519,000 viewers in Northern Ireland, and had a 64.2% share of the TV audience; and
• Digital radio listening in Northern Ireland (either online, through digital television or through a DAB set) increased, reaching 35% of all listening hours by the start of 2018. However, it remains far lower than the UK average (51%), Scotland (47%) and Wales (47%).

Notes to Editors

1. Average total TV daily viewing, by nation, (in minutes): 2010-2017

2. Top 20 most-watched programmes in Northern Ireland: 2017

Source: BARB. BBC areas, all individuals (4+). The TVR (television rating) measures the popularity of the programme by comparing its audience to the population as a whole. One TVR is numerically equivalent to 1% of the target audience.

3. Key Findings in Northern Ireland