Ofcom consults on UK local media
December 19, 2023
By Colin Mann
Ofcom has set out details on the range of evidence it will gather to inform its review of local media in the UK.
As more people go online for local news and information, local media providers – including the BBC – are having to adapt their local offerings beyond traditional broadcast and print. So Ofcom is taking a closer look at how local media is evolving and what audiences need and value from local services.
This will include carrying out research among consumers from across the UK in Spring 2024 and engaging with industry and other organisations over the coming months. This work will be used to inform its regulatory decisions with respect to – among other things – the changes that the BBC makes to its local services.
Earlier in 2023, Ofcom commissioned research to investigate the usage of local news and media across the UK. This found that 92 per cent of adults used local news or information, including weather and traffic.
Our research showed that the most common way to access local news was online (89 per cent), including social media and websites of broadcasters and newspapers, followed by TV (53 per cent), radio (34 per cent) and print newspapers (22 per cent).
Ofcom research also indicated that people prefer different platforms for different types of local news. TV and radio are typically used to get news about wider geographic areas, such as news about the ‘nation or region’ or ‘county’. Local newspapers (print and online) and social media are typically used to get news about smaller geographic areas like the ‘area, town or city’. Hyperlocal messaging apps are more commonly used to get local news about peoples’ neighbourhood or street.
Ofcom plans to publish an initial report in May 2024 setting out its preliminary findings from the consumer research and stakeholder engagement, and will also update on any additional work it is undertaking.
It will publish a final report in November 2024. It also intend to use subsequent annual reports on the BBC to update its views on the BBC’s position in the local news sectors, as well as the audio and audio-visual sectors.