BBC and ITV channels face switch-off as viewing figures crash

TV

BBC, ITV and Channel 4 TV channels could be switched off in a radical shakeup due to crashing viewing figures.

TV regulator Ofcom set out several possible options to reform over-the-air TV and push towards a streaming-only future for major UK broadcasters after reporting viewers of traditional TV plunged by as much as 25 percent, with even bigger drops expected in the future.

Its proposals include slashing channels from TV and putting them online-only, or even killing all over-the-air TV altogether and making all TV internet only.

Ofcom said: “In recent years there has been a radical shift in people’s viewing habits. TV is increasingly being viewed online, driven by the mass take-up of broadband, a range of different devices, new platforms and ways to consume content. The average person spent 25% fewer minutes per day watching broadcast TV in 2023 than in 2018.

The trend is expected to continue, with watching on scheduled TV channels through Digital Terrestrial Television and satellite forecast to drop from 67% of total long-form TV viewing in 2022, to 35% by 2034 and 27% by 2040.”

Ofcom has put forward several options for how traditional TV, such a watching on Freeview TV through an aerial cable or set-top-box, could look in the next decade as younger people in particular abandon traditional TV hook-ups to watch streaming platforms like ITVX and BBC iPlayer.

In a move which could hurt older people, one option could see only ‘core’ channels kept on TV with the rest moved to online-only.

It said: “Reducing DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) to a core service – the DTT platform could retain a minimum number of core channels – for example the main public service and news channels. This would mean viewers mainly using the internet to access TV services, while also maintaining infrastructure that could deliver radio or TV, including if there are internet outages. It could be done as a temporary transition to a fuller switch off or remain indefinitely as a provider of last resort.”

Though specific channels aren’t named, the plan suggests ancillary channels like ITV2, ITV3, BBC3 and +1 channels would not remain on TV.

A more radical approach would be to kill off all TV and put every channel online only, even BBC One and ITV1.

Ofcom said; “A planned campaign to ensure people are confident and connected with internet services, so DTT could be switched off. It would take careful planning to ensure universality of public service media, with support for people so that no-one is left behind. This could have wider benefits for digital inclusion in other areas of society.

The government will make any decision on the future of broadcast TV.

Ofcom added: “Digital Terrestrial Television faces big long-term challenges and audiences who rely on it deserve a solution that is sustainable and fit for the future. It requires a new vision and planning across industry and Government.

“We’ve set out three broad approaches for how this could be achieved in the long term, and we’ll continue to support Government with further analysis as it considers options for the future”.