Scott Bryan: Broadcasters must be bolder with their digital ambitions

Television is not dying – it will always be there in one way or another. The schedules spare us from evenings scrolling through streaming menus full of yelling trailers. And TV is a cultural glue that brings the country together – from events to sport and news – time and time again.

But if I were a TV boss looking at the latest viewer trends, I would be rather worried. Earlier this month, the release of the latest Ofcom Media Nations report, basically TV geek Christmas, revealed that more than half of 16 to 24 year-olds do not watch shows on TV on a regular basis. Younger audiences have fallen more than 25% in only five years, from 76% to 48%. And this is not just live TV, it includes catch-up services on a TV set too.

While BBC iPlayer continues to break records, currently having seven of the most-watched titles across all streaming and television, Ofcom says that the growth of these services has not been able to o set the 9% decline in live TV viewing that has taken place over that time. And in another worrying development, all of this comes only days after the BBC annual report revealed that 29% of younger people do not use BBC services, such as BBC iPlayer or Sounds, at all.

“Younger people are spending around 90 minutes a day on TikTok and YouTube - three times more per day than they spend watching TV”

The thing is, younger people are not abandoning looking at screens. Have you seen a teenager? Many of them have just gone from a big screen to a small one, spending around 90 minutes a day on TikTok and YouTube. That’s on average three times more per day than they spend watching TV, and it feels like this is a trend that is here to stay.

Yet, if you head to the social media or YouTube accounts of many British broadcasters, especially the BBC, you’ll see little exclusive or original commissioned content on these platforms. A lot of what you’ll see is promotional material to tease new shows, such as trailers or previews, or clips of memorable moments from existing programmes or recent events. These are done in the hope that these moments will drag you to iPlayer, to ITVX, or to TV itself.

These accounts are not destinations in themselves – they’re not providing much original and specifically commissioned content. And this feels strange, considering we’re living in a digital era where the algorithm, a captive audience and a bit of good luck can make new content reach millions and a global audience in only a matter of days. Heck, even hours.

One broadcaster has made a notable exception: Channel 4.0. The digital brand, backed by the broadcaster, makes tailored, original, commissioned content, aimed at younger audiences, using internet creators who help promote the show. It is a destination for new episodes of Hollyoaks and various documentaries. It has already achieved success, winning a Broadcast Digital Award for Best Entertainment Channel last year and attracting millions of views on TikTok and YouTube.

There are some hurdles to putting BBC content on YouTube – for example, that licence fee-funded content would potentially be viewed outside the UK. And there’s a concern of stretching content even further, at a time when budgets are already pretty squeezed.

While some might feel frustrated at the media’s constant obsession with younger audiences, there is a real risk that broadcasters, especially the BBC, won’t remain relevant. And in a decade’s time, the next generation of licence-fee payers won’t pay if they don’t feel the BBC is for them.

The Reithian principles of ‘inform, educate and entertain’ are just as relevant now, in the digital age, as they have ever been. There has to be a bigger digital ambition than just beefing up existing services such as iPlayer, when audiences are spending a great deal of time elsewhere.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were content specifically made for these spaces, where younger audiences spend a great deal of their time anyway?

• Scott Bryan is a media journalist, presenter and entertainment critic