The BBC News TV channel has seen a decline in reach over recent years in the United Kingdom. In the second quarter of 2019, there were just over 18 million viewers. Five years previously, the number of viewers stood at 25 million.
Number one for news?
According to a 2019 survey, a quarter of adults in England use the BBC News channel for news. However, it’s not the most commonly used news source. BBC One was used by 58 percent of respondents, and 38 percent used ITV. The third most used news source in England in 2019 was the social media service Facebook.
What about the most popular TV channel generally?
The most popular television channel in the UK, as of September 2019, was Channel 4 with a 77 percent positivity rating. The second most popular channel was BBC One with 76 percent, and then ITV came in third with 70 percent.
Quarterly reach of BBC News in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2012 to 2nd quarter 2019
(in 1,000 viewers)
Characteristic
Viewers in thousands
Q2 2019
18,044
Q1 2019
18,858
Q4 2018
18,023
Q3 2018
16,914
Q2 2018
17,052
Q1 2018
19,104
Q4 2017
20,164
Q3 2017
20,186
Q2 2017
22,251
Q1 2017
21,458
Q4 2016
21,335
Q3 2016
21,451
Q2 2016
22,500
Q1 2016
20,743
Q4 2015
25,590
Q3 2015
20,829
Q2 2015
21,890
Q1 2015
22,965
Q4 2014
21,747
Q3 2014
22,454
Q2 2014
22,211
Q1 2014
25,085
Q4 2013
24,102
Q3 2013
23,640
Q2 2013
25,072
Q1 2013
25,825
Q4 2012
26,710
Q3 2012
24,758
Q2 2012
24,497
Q1 2012
25,228
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BARB. (July 25, 2019). Quarterly reach of BBC News in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2012 to 2nd quarter 2019 (in 1,000 viewers) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/290866/bbc-news-viewers-reached-quarterly-uk/
BARB. "Quarterly reach of BBC News in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2012 to 2nd quarter 2019 (in 1,000 viewers)." Chart. July 25, 2019. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/290866/bbc-news-viewers-reached-quarterly-uk/
BARB. (2019). Quarterly reach of BBC News in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2012 to 2nd quarter 2019 (in 1,000 viewers). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/290866/bbc-news-viewers-reached-quarterly-uk/
BARB. "Quarterly Reach of Bbc News in The United Kingdom (Uk) from 1st Quarter 2012 to 2nd Quarter 2019 (in 1,000 Viewers)." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Jul 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/290866/bbc-news-viewers-reached-quarterly-uk/
BARB, Quarterly reach of BBC News in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2012 to 2nd quarter 2019 (in 1,000 viewers) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/290866/bbc-news-viewers-reached-quarterly-uk/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Quarterly reach of BBC News in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2012 to 2nd quarter 2019 (in 1,000 viewers) [Graph], BARB, July 25, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/290866/bbc-news-viewers-reached-quarterly-uk/
