Ofcom has today published its annual report on the
BBC, assessing the corporation's performance in meeting the needs
of viewers and listeners during the period April 2024 to March
2025. The report also includes the findings of Ofcom's second
‘Periodic Review' of the BBC.
Drawing on extensive audience research, industry data and
stakeholder information, today's report provides an evidence base
which Government can draw on as it undertakes its Charter
review.
Against a backdrop of funding pressures and a rapidly changing
media landscape, the report finds that the BBC remains popular
with audiences, with 83% of UK adults using its services weekly
in 2024/25. The BBC has also achieved strong levels of overall
audience satisfaction (60% in 2024/25), while there are early
signs that engagement with younger audiences is improving.
Maintaining audience trust in news more important than
ever
Our audience research shows that the BBC has remained the most
popular source of news during the current Charter period (since
2017). Ofcom's most recent figures from May 2025 showed that 70%
of regular BBC TV news viewers rated the BBC highly for accuracy,
with a similar proportion for trust (68%).
However, the BBC has recently faced a significant crisis
involving editorial decision-making at the heart of its news and
current affairs output. Ofcom has previously warned – and today
we reaffirm – that the BBC Board and Executive must take a firmer
grip and act swiftly and transparently when controversies or
failures arise.
Addressing audience concerns about impartiality and holding
itself to account when things go wrong is critical for the BBC to
uphold and maintain audience trust. This must be a firm focus for
the BBC as it resets to deliver for audiences in the next Charter
period and beyond.
To provide an external lens, we are going to undertake work
looking at the drivers of audience trust in the BBC and will
publish a Terms of Reference early next year.
BBC must play to its strengths
As we set out in our review of Public Service Media, ‘Transmission Critical',
securing the future success and sustainability of the PSM system,
requires collective action from broadcasters, Government, social
media and Ofcom.
To meet these challenges and to remain relevant in the future,
the BBC - which sits at the heart of the PSM system - should play
to its strengths, while continuing to address areas where it
needs to further improve, including by:
- deepening its engagement with less satisfied audiences –
including those on lower incomes;
- innovating and taking risks to excite and engage, making
content available where people want to watch it, such as on third
party platforms; and
- building on the successes of its ‘Across the UK' strategy to
deliver a range of content made in and made for the diverse
communities of the UK's nations and regions, while supporting
their creative economies; and
- investing in media literacy to help audiences to critically
engage with news and online services.
We will be discussing our report with Government as part of its
Charter Review. This will also include how the regulatory
framework can be updated to provide the BBC with the flexibility
to deliver across traditional linear services and online – while
still being robustly held to account.
