Channel bore: Can anything stop the great British TV turn-off?

Young viewers have been switching off terrestrial TV for years. As a new report reveals that older telly addicts are joining them in the great streaming exodus, it’s time for broadcasters to get their backsides in gear, argues Michael Hogan, otherwise they won’t keep ours on the sofa for much longer

Why are older generations giving up on traditional telly? (BBC Pictures/PA/iStock)

First they came for young viewers and I did not speak out, because sadly I wasn’t young anymore. Then they came for older viewers and suddenly I cared.

Yes, I’m seriously worried by this week’s news that mature Brits are turning off terrestrial telly. If the gogglebox can’t keep hold of golden oldies, we’re all doomed (which, fittingly, is a catchphrase from Dad’s Army).

The latest Ofcom report shows that traditional TV viewing has seen its sharpest ever fall in the past year. The media watchdog’s annual study of viewing habits found that the proportion of people tuning in each week was down from 83 per cent in 2021 to 79 per cent in 2022 – a record slump. And surprisingly, it’s mature viewers who are switching off at the fastest rate.