YouTube streaming continues fast track to distribution domination
YouTube has become the UK’s second most watched streaming service, overtaking Netflix, marking a turning point in how audiences discover and consume content on TV.
According to UK regulator Ofcom in its annual report, YouTube has become the UK's second most-watched media service, behind only the BBC. One in five viewers aged four to 15 years go to the video sharing platform first when they turn on their smart TVs, it found, while older generations aged over 55 are watching nearly twice as much YouTube as they did two years ago.
TiVo’s Q2 2024 UK Video Trends Report reinforces this shift: social video (YouTube, TikTok etc.) now accounts for nearly one in five minutes of TV viewing, and over a third of UK viewers watch social video on their TVs several times a week - a 9% year-on-year rise.
More than UGC and shortform
The content audiences are watching on YouTube has evolved too. Half of the platform’s top-trending videos now more closely resemble traditional TV, including long-form interviews and game shows. This shift positions YouTube as a direct competitor to ad-supported TV services, while offering broadcasters a way to reach wider and younger audiences.
According to Chris Kleinschmidt, VP of EMEA Advertising Sales at connected device software developer Xperi, these trends demand a reappraisal of content strategy across platforms.
“It’s not just the idea of shortform versus longform it’s the amount of content that still gives a huge misconception that it is all UGC or cheap, bad content. There is a lot of that on the platform but there’s a lot of professional content too and it’s also very niche. The combination of shortform, longform and user specific niche contentYou makes it difficult for broadcaster content to organically bubble up. Because there’s so much content you almost need have to have niche angle to stand out.”
Risks and rewards of putting premium content on YouTube
Kleinschmidt argues that broadcasters need to be more open to putting their content on YouTube. “There are a lot of issues that come with that including licensing and revenue share agreements but if you want to hit key demographics then YouTube is where your audience is spending their time. When broadcaster create high value content they need to have that distributed on as many platforms as possible to recoup investment.”
Most broadcasters are doing this already though not necessarily their primetime first airing on YouTube. They still prioritize their own channels and BVOD apps. That old strategy needs to be challenged, says Kleinschmidt.
“The age-old debate was that putting premium content on YouTube risks cannibalizing your audience but what is the alternative scenario? You’re not going to get that audience any other way so you run the risk of key demographics not seeing your content at all. This is the main dilemma. Is YouTube going to be the main source of content distribution in 20 years? Probably not. Something else will have come along but you have to realise that right now YouTube is where the audience is spending their time.”
Some broadcasters are increasingly offering their own programmes on YouTube, for example ITV and Channel 4 make full-length programming available on their channels, retaining control over adverts. Ofcom has identified these sorts of partnerships, making public service content available and prominent on online platforms, as critical to sustain the future of public service media in its recent report, Transmission Critical.
CTV's new first port of call
In the UK, per Ofcom, the BBC still hold the largest share of total viewing at 19 percent, with YouTube at 14 percent, and ITV, Netflix, and other broadcasters accounting for 12 percent, 8 percent, and 7 percent, respectively. While traditional broadcasters continue to make up the majority of in-home viewing, with 56 percent of the total share, UK consumers spent 39 minutes on YouTube per day in 2024, with 16 minutes of this via the household’s TV set.
Share of total viewing in the UK per Ofcom annual report
Ofcom's interim group director for strategy and research, Ed Leighton, said scheduled TV is "increasingly alien" to younger viewers, with YouTube now "the first port of call for many" when they pick up the remote.
"But we're also seeing signs that older adults are turning to the platform as part of their daily media diet too," he noted.
TiVo’s report also found social video fuelling in-car habits, with 66% of people watching short videos while charging their EV. “It’s a growing environment and one of those areas where see positive traction,” says Kleinschmidt. Waiting for 30 minutes to charge your EV is a perfect opportunity to watch snackable content. Two use cases that are worth watching over the next five to ten years are the rise of autonomous vehicles which potentially enable passengers and drivers to stream content on the move; and the increasing number of screens built into new cars.
“Screens are a commodity and relatively inexpensive to add into vehicles. High market value vehicles today have multiple screens onboard. This will filter down the market to the point where it’s conceivable to have personalized video streams for individual screens.”
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Take with a grain of salt any post that talks about the "Death of Linear TV." Viewers are watching linear TV on YouTube TV. They're watching linear TV on Twitch, on Hulu, on Disney, on Prime, and more. People are watching linear TV on all sorts of streaming platforms. Regardless of the underlying technology used to deliver it, it's all linear TV programming, and linear TV is alive and well.
01 Aug 2025