Ofcom: internet replaced TV as UK's most popular news source; 71% of adults get news online, vs. 70% via TV; 52% use social media for news, up from 47% in 2023
Context & Ripple Effects
Ofcom’s finding extends an earlier shift in which TikTok was rapidly gaining UK news users, moving the story from growth on individual social platforms to an overall crossover between online and television news consumption.
The UK result also sits alongside a later US finding that social media became Americans’ leading news source, suggesting that news discovery is increasingly platform-mediated across major English-language markets.
First-order effects
- Online news distribution becomes the leading reach channel in the UK by a narrow margin, putting digital formats and platforms at the center of publishers’ immediate audience strategy.
- Social media’s rise to 52% of adults as a news source makes it a larger direct route for news discovery, while television no longer holds the top position.
Second-order effects
- Broadcasters and publishers face greater pressure to make online and social distribution complementary to their owned services, because audience attention is increasingly fragmented across digital entry points.
- Platforms that carry news gain more influence over which outlets and formats users encounter first, intensifying competition among publishers for visibility and repeat engagement.
Third-order effects
- If the crossover persists, news organizations’ economics and editorial distribution will become less tied to scheduled television and more dependent on digital discovery systems they do not fully control.
- The shift strengthens the case for scrutiny of how online platforms shape access to news, particularly as social-media news use expands alongside longstanding concerns about harmful online experiences.
The trend: News consumption is shifting from broadcaster-led, scheduled access toward internet- and social-platform-led discovery.