People in Northern Ireland maintained their strong appetite for home grown programmes with Blue Lights topping the list of most-watched shows last year.
Close to 400,000 viewers tuned in for the first episode of the Belfast set police drama - nearly half of all those watching television at the time.
Viewers’ appetite for sport also figured prominently, with two big rugby matches featuring among the top ten most-watched in 2023.
According to Ofcom’s latest Media Nations report people watched, on average, 4 hours and 30 minutes of video content per day in 2023 while time spent on video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube, accounted for 45 minutes.
However, there is a big generational divide in viewing habits with older people watching more broadcast TV on the television set than younger viewers.
The over-54s watched more than any other age group, at an average of 5 hours 27 minutes per day, up by 4.2% since 2022.
Those aged 16-24 watched the least, at an average of 28 minutes per day, down by 8.6% since 2022.
| Rank | Title of TV show |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Lights |
| 2 | I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! |
| 3 | Britain’s Got Talent |
| 4 | Six Nations Championship |
| 5 | Strictly Come Dancing |
| 6 | Rugby World Cup |
| 7 | Malpractice |
| 8 | New Year’s Eve Fireworks |
| 9 | Happy Valley |
| 10 | Emmerdale |
Jonathan Rose, Ofcom Northern Ireland Director, said: “This latest Media Nations report highlights the affection that viewers and listeners have for programmes and services that have a strong local flavour.
“Whether it’s programmes like Blue Lights or locally-based radio stations, viewers and listeners in Northern Ireland consistently tune in to see and hear people and places they identify with. And that comes at a time when people have never had so much choice of what to watch and listen to.”
In recent years there has been a radical shift in people’s viewing habits. TV is increasingly being viewed online, driven by the mass take-up of broadband, a range of different devices, new platforms and ways to consume content.
The number of households using subscription video-on-demand services rose to 71% in Q1 2024, up from 68% in Q1 2023.
Netflix was the most popular followed by Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
Meanwhile 77% reported using BBC iPlayer with 45% using Channel 4 streaming, 23% using My5 and 57% using ITVX over the same period.
YouTube was the most popular video-sharing platform with 59% of teens and adults using it to watch programmes, films or other video content.
Ofcom’s research also highlights a strong appetite for news with 53% of people aged 16+ viewing nations/regions news per week, compared to 40% for the UK overall.
Television sources were the most popular followed by radio and online sources for news about Northern Ireland.
Radio listening has increased from 2023 levels with 95% of adults now tuning in for an average of 21 hours 42 mins each week. Local radio remains particularly strong in Northern Ireland, accounting for 62% of total radio listening compared to 32% across the UK as a whole.
Forty percent of households now have a smart speaker with the kitchen remaining as its most popular location.
Meanwhile, just over 18% of adults were listening to podcasts once a week in Q1 2024.
