The BBC iPlayer accounted for almost a fifth of all BBC television viewing last year. Among those aged 16-34 it was 47% of all BBC viewing, which sounds like a lot, but average viewing of less than an hour a week sounds less impressive, with their total BBC viewing down by a quarter of an hour to under two hours a week. Six out of ten people in that age group did not watch any BBC television for more than a quarter of an hour a week.
The BBC Annual report shows that in 2024 there were 14.1 million average weekly active accounts using the BBC iPlayer, up from 13.4 million the previous year. 4.1 million accounts were registered to users under 35 years of age.
There were 8.1 billion streaming requests on the BBC iPlayer over the year, up by 10% on the previous year.
There were 54.4 million average weekly hours played through iPlayer, up from 50.4 million, although the measurement was improved for the latest year, so may not be directly comparable.
The length of time spent with the iPlayer per head of population in the United Kingdom as measured by Barb across all devices was 1 hour and 6 minutes a week, up from 56 minutes the previous year.
Some 19% of all BBC television viewing, just under a fifth, was delivered by BBC iPlayer, up from 15%. Among those aged 16-34 it was 47% of all viewing, up from 37% the previous year.
Yet people in the 16-35 age group are generally watching the BBC less, so while the proportion of viewing through the iPlayer seems relatively high, their overall viewing of BBC television is decreasing.
The average amount of time that adults spent with BBC television or the iPlayer per week was down to by half an hour a week from 6 hours and 26 minutes from 6 hours 56 minutes a week, as estimated by Barb.
Among those aged 16-34, average BBC television or iPlayer viewing was just 1 hours 53 minutes a week, down from 2 hours and 8 minutes the previous year. Even if 47% of that viewing is through the iPlayer it is less than an hour a week, at about 7.5 minutes a day.
Despite the availability of almost all BBC programming on demand, people are watching it less. That does not mean they are appreciating it less. They may be more deliberately selective in their viewing.
The percentage of BBC viewing through the iPlayer varies by genre, from as low as 5% for news and current affairs, or 10% for sport, to 52% for drama and 61% for comedy.
Among those aged 16-34, news and sport account for 15% and 23% respectively, rising to 79% and 88% for drama and comedy.
Live programming accounts for 18% of requests on the BBC iPlayer. 74% of requests are from televisions.
So, the BBC iPlayer is less likely to be used for live programming like news or sport, and more likely to be used for viewing recorded programmes like dramas, where it competes with services like Netflix.
The overall weekly reach of the BBC, across television, radio and online, was 85%, or 71% for those aged 16-34.
BBC television and iPlayer viewing had a 61% weekly reach across the population aged over 4 years, based on viewing at least 15 minutes a week on any device. That was higher than commercial television, or Netflix, but is far from universal. Significantly, it is down from 69% reach the previous year.
Among those aged 16-34, the weekly reach of BBC television and iPlayer fell to 38%, from 42% the previous year.
The television licence provided the BBC with income of £3.66 billion, down from £3.74 billion the previous year, because of the licence fee has been frozen for two years and there are fewer licences in use. There were 23.9 million licences in force at the end of the 2023/24 year, down by half a million on the previous year.
Commercial and other income added £1.73 billion, down from £1.99 billion the previous year.
The BBC has announced plans for a net reduction of 500 roles, while creating new roles in what are described as growth areas. The question is where that growth will come from.
The BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24 is published by the BBC and available from its web site.