Around 2015 it was perfectly fair for Freeview to say that most people in the UK were still watching live TV and that mobile viewing was mainly “extra” rather than a full replacement. At that time you would sometimes hear figures like “over 80% of viewing is still live”. That was a good description of the market then.

Where We Are Now

In 2025 the viewing mix is different. Broadcast TV (live and recorded) still makes up the biggest single slice of viewing in the home, but streaming and on?demand now take a very substantial share. It’s no longer credible to say that “almost everyone is still watching live”. The reality is that people are mixing:

• live TV for news, sport and big entertainment
• broadcaster apps for catch?up
• pure streaming services for box sets and films

So linear hasn’t disappeared – it has just stopped being the only way people watch.

Younger Viewers Changed Faster

The steepest drop in live viewing has happened with younger adults. For 16–24 year olds, live is something you dip into – not something you leave on all night. Older viewers still lean much more on broadcast. That gives us a split market: broadcast is still strong, but the growth is all on the IP and app side.

How Freeview Evolved

In the mid?2010s, the answer to changing viewing habits was Freeview Play – keep broadcast, add iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 catch?up into the TV guide. That was step one.

In the 2020s, Freeview and Freesat were brought together under Everyone TV, and a new broadband?first platform was launched – Freely. Freely lets people watch free UK channels and on?demand content over broadband, even if they don’t have an aerial or dish. That move is a clear sign that free TV in the UK now has to work in two ways: broadcast and IP.

The 2025 Message

• Linear/broadcast is still important and will stay in place.
• Streaming and on?demand are now a normal, expected part of TV.
• The UK solution is to offer both at the same time, on the same devices.

That is very different from the 2015 tone of “we’re not seeing people move away from live”. We are seeing it – just not evenly across all age groups.

What to Say Now

Instead of: “86% of viewing is still to live TV.”

Say: “Broadcast is still the UK’s biggest single way to watch TV, but streaming now accounts for a large share too, so we deliver our services over both aerial and broadband.”

Instead of: “We’re not seeing people move away from live.”

Say: “We’re seeing people add streaming to broadcast, so we have to keep free TV available whichever way they watch.”

Why This Still Matters for Aerials

Even though more homes are watching over broadband, millions still rely on a TV aerial for day?to?day viewing. Aerials are simple, reliable, and don’t depend on your broadband speed. Free?to?air broadcast is also set to continue well into the 2030s, so it makes sense to keep household aerial systems working.

If you need a TV aerial installed or repaired, get in touch and we can test the signal, check local transmitters, and make sure your setup is ready for both broadcast and hybrid TV in 2025.