Why the BBC wants TV to go online-only

The shift to online TV viewing is accelerating, with the number of UK homes without broadband predicted to fall to just 220,000 by 2034.

New figures reveal a faster-than-expected take-up of internet-only TV, strengthening the case for switching off Freeview broadcasts during the next decade.

UK broadcasters, including the BBC, are asking the Government to set a date to switch off Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) signals, or Freeview, by the mid-2030s.

However, campaigners warn that a switch-off would force the elderly, disabled people and those on low incomes to take on expensive high-speed broadband contracts just to watch TV, which is currently free-to-air.

The latest figures from 3 Reasons, independent analysts whose forecasts are used by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), show that the number of UK homes without broadband fell by 30 per cent between 2023 and 2025, and now stands at 1.2 million.

The rate of the fall in broadband-free homes outpaced the 10 per cent previously predicted for the time period.

Such an updated forecast will be used as further evidence by the BBC and other broadcasters that switch-off is achievable within a decade.

They would save millions of pounds in channel distribution costs by ending DTT transmissions.

The BBC has warned that the costs of keeping Freeview on air to a dwindling audience would fall on the licence-fee payer.

However, pushing switch-off as a policy objective carries a risk for the BBC after The i Paper reported that nearly 48 per cent of people would oppose paying the £180 licence fee if its content were only available online.

Freely to overtake Freeview in a decade

The updated forecast for homes without broadband in 2034 is now 220,000 – around a quarter of the 800,000 originally forecast in a report for DCMS from 2024.

Alongside the surge in broadband take-up, Freeview users are switching to Freely, the free streaming platform launched in 2024 that offers live TV via an internet connection, without the need for an aerial.
More than one million households currently use Freely, which offers viewers around 60 channels, including the UK’s public service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5).

Currently the UK’s fastest-growing TV service, the new platform is expected to overtake Freeview and be used in 10.5 million UK households by 2034, the 3 Reasons report forecasts.

Freeview, currently used on the main TV set in 9.7 million households, is set for a steep decline to one million homes by 2034.

The new forecast will feed into a Government decision, expected soon, on whether to set a target date for switching off DTT.

Everyone TV, the company that owns and manages Freeview and Freely, believes that a managed transition to switch off can help the remaining 220,000 households, if that is the number, make the leap to streaming television.

‘No viewer left behind’ pledge

Viewers could be given a “plug-in and stream” device that connects to their TV’s HDMI port, while the Digital Poverty Alliance is calling for financial support and an information drive to help vulnerable households make the broadband transition.

Jonathan Thompson, Everyone TV’s CEO, said: “The way audiences engage with TV is changing and these updated forecasts reflect that clear direction of travel. It is vital that any future change in TV distribution is carefully planned and managed, that issues of connectivity and affordability are addressed and that no viewer is left behind.”

However, Broadcast2040+, the campaign group calling for DTT to stay until the mid-2040s, warned against a “rushed transition to turn off terrestrial TV by 2034.”

A spokesperson said: “The public does not want every household in the country to be forced to pay for a high-speed fixed broadband connection just to watch TV. Terrestrial TV is universal, free-to-air and available via an aerial to 98.5 per cent of households at no additional cost.

“It is the most efficient way of broadcasting live TV and is a vital service for many older, lower-income or rural viewers, who may struggle with affordability, reliability and digital confidence.”

Industry sources said the Government would still need to set a target date for switchover, even if the process was occurring organically. “If there’s no date, there’s no imperative to make the access universal – to ensure connectivity for all and to address issues of affordability,” one figure said.