Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ

Annual Report and Accounts

Our assessment of the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s performance over the last 12 months

Published: 14 July 2026

Each year we publish our Annual Report and Accounts which contains our assessment of how we have delivered our mission and public purposes and the extent to which the commitments set out in the Annual Plan, as well as regulatory and other commitments, have been met.

This year’s Annual Report and Accounts provides details on some of our cultural, social, and economic achievements during 2025/26.

  • Icons depicting six Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ services - iPlayer, Sounds, News, Sport, Bitesize and Weather - sit alongside text that reads 94% of UK adults use our services on average per month
    94% of UK adults use our services on average per month (81% per week) [Source: Compass by Ipsos UK]
  • Five figures in multiple colours raise their hands in the air in celebration alongside white text that reads 73% of UK adults say that the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is ‘for all’
    73% of UK adults say that the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is ‘for all’, more than any other media provider [Source: Yonder, 1,050 UK adults 18+. Disagree: 15%]
  • An illustration of a gold number one badge sits alongside text that reads the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ remains the most used  brand for media in the UK
    The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ remains the most used brand for media in the UK [Source: Compass by Ipsos UK]

The Best of the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ in 2025/26 (in under three and a half minutes)

Here's a taste of what we've delivered for audiences in 2025/26 - watch now
Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Chair, Dr Samir Shah, reflects on 2025/26
There is no other country in the world that has a media organisation like the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ. We are an instrument of social cohesion in a world where division, disruption, and distrust are becoming a way of life.
— Dr Samir Shah, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Chair

Director-General Matt Brittin looks to the year ahead
Reinventing the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ to fulfil its mission for audiences in a complex, fast-moving world is our duty and our challenge.
— Matt Brittin, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Director-General

Our audiences own the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ. Examine our performance over the past year by looking at how we’re used and perceived by the people of the UK and how this has changed.

Engaging with audiences

The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s Charter requires that the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ must ‘carefully and appropriately assess the views and interests of the public and audiences, including licence fee payers’, and ‘ensure that the diverse perspectives and interests of the public and audiences, including licence fee payers, are taken into account in its decision-making’.

How we met our audience goals is set out in the Our Audiences section. In the section below, we set out the channels through which we directly engage with audiences.


Putting the voice of the audience at the heart of the debate about the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s future

In 2025 we undertook our biggest ever listening exercise through the Our Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ, Our Future questionnaire. This was designed to ensure that the voice of the audience is at the heart of the debate about the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s future as we look ahead to the review of our Royal Charter beyond 2027.

In total, 872,701 account holders shared their views, giving us a powerful picture of what people across the UK want and need from the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ as we reinvent what we do for the future.


Making the case for the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ as a vital national asset

In March, the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ published a response to the Government’s Green Paper on the review of our Royal Charter beyond 2027. It set out both the scale of the challenges we face and the exciting opportunities ahead.

Our response made the case for the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ as a vital national asset – one that belongs to everyone in the UK and represents a shared investment in our culture, our communities, our economy and our democracy at a time when this has never been more needed. Yet it was also clear-eyed about the growing jeopardy – both for the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ and the UK as a whole.


A Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ for All

The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ has long upheld a distinctive mission: to inform, educate, and entertain everyone. This mission, enshrined in the Royal Charter alongside the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s five public purposes, remains the foundation of everything we do at the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ.

As the world changes, the role the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ plays for the UK is changing too. We want to offer outstanding value to all audiences in the years ahead whilst supporting the UK’s  democracy, creative economy and society. That’s why, aligned with our five public purposes, the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is focused on three roles that are essential in today’s world.

Info:
  • Pursue truth with no agenda by reporting fearlessly and fairly
  • Back the best homegrown storytelling by investing in British talent and creativity
  • Bring people together by connecting everyone to unmissable content

Three Essential Roles

  • 476m is written in black on a white background alongside a microphone icon
    Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ News’ international weekly reach, an increase of 12% year on year
  • 141% is written in black on a white background alongside an icon of a mobile phone with an arrow pointing upwards
    The increase in monthly views on Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ News’ TikTok – rising from 367 million in 2024/25 to 883 million this year
  • 8 million is written in black writing on a white background next to an image of a screen with star shape on it
    The number of views on Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ News live online pages in the week of the Kent meningitis outbreak

In an uncertain and fast-changing world, with truth and facts under growing assault, the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s commitment to impartial, accurate and trusted news and information is needed now more than ever.

It is our promise to the UK and audiences worldwide. Brave, public service journalism – local, national and international – which strengthens our democracy, our national security, and our society, available digitally, on audio and on video for all.


UK talent and creativity worldwide.
  • £6.7 billion is written in black text on a white background next to an icon of a camera with a play button imposed onto it
    Amount contributed by the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ to the UK economy last financial year, of which 67% goes directly into the creative industries.
  • 8/10 written in black text on a white background next to an icon of a figure holding a microphone wearing a bow tie
    8/10 of the most watched scripted comedies in 2025/26 were on the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ.
  • 8.7 million written in black text on a white background next to an icon of a film clapper board
    The average audience for episode one of the second series of The Night Manager, making it the most watched Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ drama debut in three years.

The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s commitment to backing homegrown storytelling is unique in its ambition, scale, and impact. As our media landscape continues to fragment, homegrown creativity is increasingly at risk of being squeezed out by global content.

In response, we must offer value to all licence fee payers by reflecting, representing and sharing stories from every part of the country, ensuring our economic impact is felt across the nations and regions, and showcasing the very best of the UK’s cultural identity to the world.


Connections not division.
  • 15 million written in black text on a white background next to an icon of a figure wearing a traitors cloak
    The Celebrity Traitors final attracted an average audience of over 15 million to the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ
  • £45 million written in black text on a white background next to an icon of a television set with a heart in the screen
    The 2025 Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Children in Need appeal raised more than £45m to help children and young people across the UK
  • Number one written in black text on a white background next to an icon of a radio
    The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ remains the UK’s number one radio brand – listened to by over 30 million people on average per week

The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is a unique and unifying force in our society, vital in countering the growing crisis of trust which leaves so many of us feeling isolated and divided.

Whilst social media echo chambers drive us apart, the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ provides a space where the whole of the UK public can come together for the biggest national moments, to engage in open, civil debate, and to share experiences and find common ground.


The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s commitment to serving all audiences across the UK.

The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ exists to serve all audiences across the UK, delivering value for every licence fee payer.

Central to this mission is a commitment to ensure that the diversity of the UK’s voices, cultures and experiences are reflected in our journalism, storytelling and creative output – and that the economic and social impact of the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is felt across the nations and regions.

Find out how the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is delivering where you are


More from the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Annual Report 2025/26

  • Alan Carr and Amanda Holden pose inside a house in Greece. They wear white overalls and white hard hats as they prepare to decorate. The walls are stripped bare.
    This section looks in detail at how the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ operates: our finances; how we recruit, develop and retain the best people; and how we prioritise environmental sustainability.
  • A man in light blue shirt and dark blue suit jacket smiles to camera
    This section sets out key achievements for the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ's commercial operations during the financial year and the outlook for the year ahead.
  • A trio of images. From left to right, celebrities walking the Alps in Pilgrimage, children jumping up and down in comedy drama Crongton, and Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Radio Presenter Jamz Supernova DJing at 6 Music Festival,
    This section looks in detail at the role of the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Board and includes reports from the Board’s delegated subcommittees. It also includes detail on our overall approach to corporate governance, our regulatory position and affirmation of the Board’s duties in relation to the Annual Report.
  • Left to right: Assistant producer Matt Tomlinson and cinematographer Sam Oakes in a flooded Oxfordshire garden for Secret Garden. Nick Stapleton, part of a team of ethical  hackers, hunts down cyber criminals in the fifth season of Scam Interceptors. And Jane Bennet (Maddie Close) and Lizzie Bennet (Poppy Gilbert) behind the scenes in The Other Bennet Sister.
  • A collage of images. Left to right - Celia Imrie with host Ed Gamble, on the set  of visualised podcast, Traitors Uncloaked. A young man called Michael Troncosco is working on Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ News. Don Gilet and Shantol Jackson in Death in Paradise, which has been recommissioned for another two series..

Annual Report and Accounts Archive

2019/20

2018/19

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

2005/06

2004/05

2003/04

2002/03

2001/02

2000/01

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