Internal ABC data, obtained by the Australian Financial Review, shows that just eight per cent of the viewers for ABC’s flagship 7 pm news bulletin are under the age of 40.
The Financial Review reported that more than 80 per cent of the viewers for the bulletin are over the age of 55, with two-thirds of viewers over 65.
The figures obtained by the Financial Review detail viewership for the 7pm news bulletin for one week in late June, as well as the broadcaster’s shows Q&A and Insiders.
The trend is not unique to the ABC. With the boom of online streaming services and social media, broadcasters have increasingly seen a decrease in young people viewing their news services.
Whilst broadcasters have tried to counteract this by investing in online and social media services, for the ABC, these hubs show a familiar trend.
Even on the ABC’s iView video-on-demand service, more than 70 per cent of viewers for Q+A and Insiders are over 55.
The ABC have reportedly used the urgent need to gain younger viewers as justification for cutting a number of positions including the contentious departure of political editor Andrew Probyn.
In a statement, ABC is reported to have said that the numbers reflect wider industry trends.
“This is not unique to the ABC, but is a trend for all news channels,” he said. “The audience for news on digital platforms is younger and has grown strongly in recent years. The ABC is the second-highest digital news service in Australia and reaches significant numbers of young Australians.”
The ABC recently unveiled its five-year plan – stating that it expects half of all engagement to be via digital services by 2028.
