Ofcom has published its annual report on the BBC, assessing the corporation’s performance in meeting the needs of viewers and listeners from April 2024 to March 2025.
The report aims to provide “an evidence base” which the UK government can draw on as it undertakes its Charter review, said the regulator.
Against a backdrop of funding pressures and a rapidly changing media landscape, the report finds that the BBC remains popular with audiences, with 83 per cent of UK adults using its services weekly in 2024/25.
The BBC has also achieved strong levels of overall audience satisfaction (60 per cent in 2024/25), while there are early signs that engagement with younger audiences is improving, said Ofcom.
The report states that the BBC should “play to its strengths” to appeal to everyone across the UK, saying the broadcaster must “deepen its engagement with less satisfied audiences, including those who are younger and from less well-off backgrounds.”
Ofcom calls on the BBC to “innovate and take risks” to make content available where people want to watch it—such as on third-party platforms—and to make content which engages and excites audiences on those platforms.
“We recognise that the BBC is continually adapting its approach and trying new and different ways of reaching audiences. Innovation also includes creating new kinds of content – for example, the BBC is beginning to make visualised podcasts available on iPlayer, with some news visualised podcasts also available on YouTube, and is experimenting with other online platforms such as Snapchat and Fortnite,” said Ofcom.
The full report is available to download here.
