As YouTube’s role in the TV ecosystem continues to fuel industry debate, reseach from Barb has found that YouTube viewing on TV sets is rising sharply across all age groups. According to the UK TV measurement body’s ‘What People Watched in 2025’ report, 50 percent of children (aged 4-15) now watch the video streaming service on TV each week, up from 38 percent in 2022. But perhaps more noteworthy is that YouTube viewing among over-55s has almost doubled over the same period, now reaching 20 percent of the age group.
The findings follow last month’s news that YouTube’s total reach now surpasses any other individual channel or service measured by Barb, although as VideoWeek reported, the UK broadcasters’ combined reach still outpaces that of YouTube. But with 54 percent of YouTube viewing now taking place on TV sets, the report highlights “varied evidence that YouTube is a significant part of the UK’s AV ecosystem”, including the growing role it plays for the broadcasters themselves.
To capitalise on the reach YouTube offers, the UK broadcasters are increasingly distributing their content on the Google-owned video service, which Barb says helps get their programming “in front of audiences who are less likely to spend time with their channels or apps.” The report suggests that average monthly TV-set reach for ITV content on YouTube was 4.9 million in 2025 (or 7.6 percent of all individuals), with Sky at 3.4 million, and Channel 4 at 2.5 million.
These represent “sizeable audiences”, according to Barb, though they remain small proportions of total viewing; for context, ITV’s total monthly reach in December 2025 was 45 million, Sky’s was 37.2 million, and Channel 4’s was 42.2 million.
“A platform for user-generated content has evolved into a partner to the creator economy and a place where viewers can access professional content from TV channels or streamers,” notes the report. “As a gateway to content, search tool and recommendation engine, it sits alongside the established EPGs from Freeview, Sky and Virgin and the navigation interfaces on smart TVs that are now in most of the nation’s living rooms. It reaches across the generations and lives on all of people’s connected devices.”
Switching on
But the UK broadcasters remain the first port of call for UK viewers when switching on the TV, according to Barb’s research, with the top 10 channels based on 2025 viewing volume (and their respective BVOD services) switched on first in 37 percent of TV viewing sessions among all 4+ viewers. Interestingly Netflix also edges out YouTube with 14 percent share of switch-ons, versus 10 percent. However the picture changes for the 4-15 age group, with YouTube’s share doubling that of the TV channels, and also taking the lead over Netflix.
The research also points to different viewing patterns at different times of day. While the top TV channels are most likely to be the first choice at switch-on in the mornings before work, Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ start to compete with the broadcasters in the evening hours, and begin to dominate at 11pm into the early hours of the morning.
Barb notes that these patterns have implications across the TV industry, as viewing decisions become increasingly guided by TV platforms and streaming interfaces instead of scheduling.
“The data poses challenges to content owners and distribution platforms about how best to guide and direct viewers who are feeling overwhelmed by choice on a streaming or BVOD platform; it raises issues for regulators about the visibility of public service broadcasters in the newer navigation systems on smart TVs; and opportunities for set manufacturers to monetise the time people are spending choosing what to watch.”
Appointment viewing
That said, live viewing continues to attract signficant audiences, and remains the highest proportion of TV set viewing in the UK, according to the research. In December 2025, viewing live (at the point of broadcast) represented 45 percent of total identified viewing on the TV set, though the report adds that this has fallen from around 60 percent in 2022. Barb notes that audiences tend to watch sporting events and tentpole reality competitions close to the point of broadcast in order to avoid spoilers; by way of example, 93 percent of The Celebrity Traitors final viewing either took place on the day of broadcast or the next day.
However, when it comes to the global SVOD services, viewing is heavily skewed towards older content – particularly on Disney+, where 74 percent of 2025 viewing on TV sets was to content that has been available for more than 12 months. Alongside the streaming service’s extensive film and TV back catalogue, Barb also cites the popularity of Australian animated series Bluey, which accounted for 4.2 percent of all TV set viewing minutes to Disney+ in 2025.
“Binge-watching and weekly releases coexist on streaming platforms alongside live content,” comments Justin Sampson, Chief Executive at Barb. “Some content is consumed at pace, immediately on release, while other viewing unfolds over time. And a significant proportion of streaming time is spent with older content, reminding us that discovery and re-discovery are as important as novelty. YouTube, too, resists easy categorisation. It is neither simply ‘TV’ nor something entirely separate from it. Its relationship with broadcasters and streamers is increasingly symbiotic, with content and audiences flowing across platforms. And while children remain central to YouTube’s viewing story, growth among older audiences is also evident.”
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