The Grinch and Blue Lights most watched film and programme in Northern Ireland
Ofcom's latest Media Nations report shows that people in Northern Ireland watched an average of four hours and 48 minutes of video content at home per day in 2024, an 18-minute year-on-year increase.
The region once again watched the most live broadcast TV of all the nations (two hours and six minutes) and was the only nation which had an increase in live viewing.
Almost three quarters of households (74%) were found to have at least one subscription-video-on-demand (SVoD) service, with Amazon Prime Video the most popular, present in 59% of homes ahead of Netflix.
In terms of broadcast TV, the BBC held an 18% share of total video viewing, followed by ITV/UTV with a 15% share.
However, in a reflection of changing viewing habits, YouTube comes in next with a 12% share ahead of other TV channels and streamers like Netflix.
Individuals in Northern Ireland spent 35 minutes per day on average viewing YouTube across all devices in the home in 2024.
Meanwhile the Grinch was the most watched film on TV in 2024, ahead of Blue Lights, which was the most watched programme in 2023.
The Grinch was the most-watched title last year, averaging 637,000 viewers on Netflix on TV sets across the whole year.
The BBC took the next two spots, with the season two premiere of Blue Lights averaging 556,000 viewers, followed by Christmas Day's Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, averaging 478,000.
Entertainment on UTV also made the top 10, with an episode of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and The 1% Club ranking fifth and sixth, averaging 384,000 and 367,000 viewers respectively.
The report also found that TV channels BBC One (33%) and UTV (32%) were the most popular sources for news about Northern Ireland.
Radio featured much more prominently in Northern Ireland for local news compared to other nations with BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle and Cool FM/Downtown also appearing in the top five most used news sources used for news about Northern Ireland.
The region saw strong performance for local radio, with more than six in 10 adults (63.9%) listening to local commercial radio at least once a week – higher than in England, Scotland, Wales and the UK as a whole.
In terms of newer technology, four in ten households (41%) in Northern Ireland have a smart speaker, more than double the proportion with a DAB radio in the home (19%).
In terms of podcasts, nearly one in five (19%) adults in Northern Ireland were found to listen to them at least once a week in quarter one of 2025.
However, this remains lower than the UK reach figure of 22.4%, and year-on-year growth in Northern Ireland has slowed again while other nations' have increased.
Jonathan Rose, Ofcom's Northern Ireland director, said the report illustrates the enduring popularity of local radio.
'People in Northern Ireland are spending more time than ever in front of their screens,' he said.
'Broadcast TV remains popular but streamers like Amazon Prime Video and video-sharing platforms like YouTube are also now a firmly established part of our daily viewing diet.
'Our research also shows the enduring popularity of radio and especially local radio.
'Listeners in Northern Ireland have a real connection with local voices as well as news and views that reflects what's happening on their own doorstep.'
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