From Terrestrial to TikTok: The 2025 Broadcast Trends Report
Broadcast Revolution Report shows how the “content boom” and the battle for trust are the biggest challenges facing broadcasters & PRs. We surveyed the UK public, PR professionals, and broadcast journalists to unveil key insights.
- Fake news and AI remain a big challenge for broadcasters
- Broadcasters are adopting a linear and social media strategy, mirroring the importance of owned and earned media channels for PRs
- TV remains the most watched, trusted and desirable coverage for brands
- 98% of broadcasters believe that the popularity of podcasts is going to match live broadcast in the years to come
Broadcast Revolution reveals the findings of its latest Broadcast Trends Report, highlighting the pressure broadcasters are facing when it comes to fake news, AI and the importance of having an online audience. The report shows a significant shift in the media landscape. Broadcasters are creating content for both their linear and online audiences given how UK consumers are accessing their news from multiple sources. This also reflects a growing trend for PRs to deliver earned and owned campaigns as 70% of PRs admitting they need to create campaigns across multiple platforms.
The Broadcast Revolution research reveals that TV is the most watched media source, with 77% of UK consumers watching TV daily. 51% of consumers say it is the most trusted source for news (followed by radio 30%, newspapers 21%) and nearly 50% of PRs believe that TV is the most desirable media coverage for brands. Yet, 41% of PRs don’t have a broadcast strategy. Whilst traditional linear viewing figures are down, broadcasters are putting significant investment into streaming, on-demand and digital content to expand their audiences. 98% of journalists surveyed reveal they produce their content to attract online audiences and over a third of journalists cite their most pressing concern as their ability to produce online content alongside mainstream viewing.
Rajar figures reveal it’s been a record-breaking year for radio with listening reaching 50.9 million adults and podcast listening reached an all-time high of 12.3 million listeners each week. In fact, 98% of broadcasters believe that the popularity of podcasts is going to match live broadcast in the years to come, yet 71% of PRs admit they don’t have a podcast strategy and half are expected to land coverage on podcasts.
The battle for trust, rise of fake news, and diverse representation on the airwaves remain key challenges for broadcasters and consumers:
- Overcoming fake news is a challenge for 7 in 10 journalists
- 6 in 10 journalists say policing the growth of AI is a significant challenge
- 90% of consumers are concerned about bias in the news
- 1 in 3 members of the public do not feel represented on TV and radio in terms of age, race, gender, or class
Phil Caplin, Founder of Broadcast Revolution commented: “Long gone are the days where everyone stayed in the traditional media lanes. Broadcast journalists and PRs have both experienced a significant shift in the expectations of their job roles, thanks to social media and the fact that broadcasters are now serving three audiences: those who listen to linear TV and radio, those who catch up on demand, and those who watch shorts video content on Instagram and TikTok. Broadcast is evolving, media consumption habits are diverse and there is an explosion of opportunities to deliver a more layered approach to campaigns that will deliver an impact 2025.”
The report shows that people are consuming news across multiple platforms:
- 30% of consumers defined themselves as Short Snappy Scrollers where they rely on breaking news alerts, 30 second videos and social media feeds
- 21% of consumers see themselves as Digital Digesters of online news via apps, news websites, social media and podcasts
- 17% of consumers define themselves as News Junkies of broadcast, print, and online news
- 16% of consumers see themselves as Truth Seekers starting out their day with TV or newspapers and then turning to online throughout day to see how the world is reacting
- 9% of consumers are Lifestyle Listeners who aren’t interested in hard news and care more about human interest, arts, culture and sport
The report also looks at the type of content that makes an impact. The third biggest challenge broadcasters say they are experiencing is getting cut through to audiences when there is so much content out there. 40% of consumers reveal they are more likely to watch a video than read an article. Social media and TV consistently prove the top two most effective channels to prompt action for consumers after they see a news story. Whether you are a Short Snappy Scroller or Truth Seeker, the report shows the need to make an impact on your audience has never been more important.
To download the report please visit https://www.broadcastrevolution.co.uk/2025-broadcast-trends-report
The research for this report was carried out by Research Without Barriers (RWB) on behalf of Broadcast Revolution. The sample comprised 2,001 UK adults, 132 PR professionals, and 100 broadcast journalists.
