Traditional broadcasters such as BBC are starting to look vulnerable and Ofcom is worried
Inform, educate, entertain. That is BBC’s mission and Ofcom believes that, by and large, it’s doing a pretty good job.
But Ofcom is concerned that BBC is struggling to appeal to younger audiences.
The way we watch television is changing. Channels are becoming less relevant, people are increasing streaming the video they watch and the pace of change is accelerating.
Adults in the UK still spend more time watching BBC One more than any other service but YouTube and Netflix, who aren’t close behind, forced their way into the top five.
When you look at the viewing of the under 35s, everything changes. YouTube and Netflix hold sway, BBC One slips to fourth below ITV.
The average young person is watching more than an hour a day on You Tube.
This matters because last year the BBC collected £3.3 billion from viewers in the form the licence fee.
This funding model becomes extremely hard to justify if a generation of viewers isn’t really very interested in what you're broadcasting.
BBC radio and BBC online also have a youth problem but it is not a problem that is unique to the BBC.
Channel 4 and Channel 5 are losing younger viewers even faster than the BBC and the all of the traditional Public Service Broadcasters - including ITV - are seeing their viewing figures gently decline.
The traditional broadcasters are starting to look vulnerable and Ofcom is worried.