Letters

Why young folk watch less BBC, but like it more

As one of the “young” people mentioned in your article about the BBC losing the youth audience (News, Issue 595, page 9), I’d like to explain why my generation watches fewer BBC shows, but maybe like the BBC more than the older generation.

I’ve just turned 20, so I’ve never known a time without the internet, nor without a seemingly endless supply of content. The idea of turning on the BBC to see what it may be showing at that specific time is alien to me. Instead, I find out about shows that I’m likely to enjoy (through word of mouth mostly), and then watch those shows on demand on the iPlayer.

I read recently that the iPlayer had its most popular year ever in 2020. Its most-watched show was (pictured above). Also in the top 10 were You and . I’ve watched all those on the iPlayer, but I can’t recall any other programmes I saw on the BBC this year. This is probably