Broadcast Revolution’s 2025 Broadcast Trends Report
With the growth of media channels and social platforms, there are more opportunities than ever to deliver PR campaigns that reach your audiences in different ways.
It was a particularly expert panel that gathered to analyse and assess Broadcast Revolution’s 2025 Broadcast Trends Report. Theo Usherwood- Political journalist, broadcaster and podcaster was alongside Aarti Bulsara from the board of directors at PR firm Hope & Glory. Completing the panel, with an in-house perspective, was Simon Feldman, Virgin Media 02’s comms lead on Environmental, Social & Governance and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Olympic Level Consumption
The first focus of discussion was on the impact of a major year for both sports and news events in 2024 including the UK General Election, the US presidential election, and the Paris Olympics. Broadcast Revolution research has found that 62% of adults have increased their consumption of news around key events like these. Theo highlighted that the transition from a Biden to a Trump White House in early 2025 will be momentous and likely continue that surge in news demand. The impact a Trump presidency will have on the likes of the Middle East and Ukraine is likely to be considerable. Theo’s point was that volatility will mean news continues to hold a real value.
Working your content
Research around media consumption found TV was top, followed by YouTube then Facebook then radio.
Simon Feldman says it’s vital to take a layered approach to reach consumers across all of those platforms. Aarti added that clients want content to work really hard for them now across multiple channels. Aarti used the example of broadcast journalists working not just towards their main programme but also towards social media with equal fervour. Theo added that TikTok and Instagram are seen as the targets to appeal to younger audiences. YouTube, he says, is appealing to an older demographic.
Theo added that content on YouTube doesn’t always get big audiences so you have to work hard to get major interest with a clear and strong message. Aarti summarised it as having a conversation where there is “talkability and shareability” of ideas that can work across all platforms.
Simon Feldman focused on podcasts and highlighted that they are a serious presence more than ever before. He says the challenge is working out how to plug into that. The right podcast, he says, can offer enormous impact for a campaign. Aarti compared podcasts today with the rise of influencers a decade ago— she says it used to be hard to work out which was the best influencer to work with and today the same challenge is there when it comes to working out which podcast to try and link up with. She says that PRs will have to start to work much harder going forward to guide clients on who the right podcast partner might be. This is backed up by a key stat in the Broadcast Revolution research that found 71% of PRs don’t have a podcast strategy.
Theo added that he’s impressed with how brands can get a promotion from a presenter during a podcast. He says this is far more seamless than an old-fashioned advert being dropped in.
Waning trust and lack of perspectives
The issues of trust and diversity saw a combined discussion by the panel. The Broadcast Revolution research found that a quarter of viewers didn’t fully trust any of the major news sources. Journalists also fed back that they recognised this issue of waning trust from audiences in an era of fake news and AI. Simon Feldman advocated the importance of lived experience in many campaigns. He says there’s a real need for a diverse array of case studies to appeal to all consumers and win their trust. Aarti agreed that a campaign ideally needed to appeal to all communities with diversity a major priority these days. Theo highlighted that it’s still hard for broadcasters to secure a diverse range of contributors in many fields of expertise. He said different voices, perspectives and backgrounds were vital to keep audiences truly engaged.
The use of AI saw a consensus from the panel— embrace its merits and creativity, be open to what it can offer but be totally open and honest about where it’s used.
One stat from the research that surprised all the panel was that 41% of PRs said they don’t have a broadcast strategy. Aarti described broadcast coverage as “a pinnacle” for the clients she works with. Simon added that “hearts and minds” can truly be delivered by broadcast. Theo said great storytelling would always make broadcast shine through.
