Ofcom figures show that UK television output on religion and ethics rose slightly in 2025 but remains well below its 2013 peak.
The regulator’s latest data indicates a marginal increase of three hours compared with 2024, yet a broader long-term decline. In 2013, broadcasters aired 254 hours of religion-related programming, including worship. By 2025, this had fallen to 171 hours - a drop of 33%, largely attributed to Channel 4 and Channel 5 withdrawing from the genre.
In 2025, ITV and Channel 4 each contributed just one hour of religious programming, with the remainder provided by the BBC.
Daisy Scalchi, BBC Head of Religion and Ethics, TV, said: “The BBC’s commitment to religion and ethics content is demonstrably strong. Audience habits have changed dramatically over the last 15 years, and we need to meet audiences where they are today – this includes programming in both peak and daytime TV but also programming that can gain a strong audience over time, and at their convenience, as viewers come to our content on iPlayer and other BBC platforms.
“The BBC provides almost 99 per cent of the UK’s broadcast religion programming across a wide variety of content, featuring documentaries, factual entertainment, worship, events and live debate, as well as titles in Children’s, Nations, BBC Bitesize and Education and a dedicated Religion Editor in News.
“Nor is religious representation limited solely to religion-specific programmes, as there are religious characters and storylines across entertainment and drama. There is no other UK media organisation consistently reflecting faith and belief across such a breadth of content and formats”
Earlier this week the BBC announced a series about the life of Jesus Christ will be broadcast in 2027, to expand on "our understanding of one the most influential people in history”.
Ofcom’s Communications and Market Report 2026 shows peak-time religious and ethics output rose from 20 to 24 hours in 2025, but remains far below the 67 hours recorded in 2011.
First-run peak-time content has also declined sharply, with just six hours of original programming in 2025 compared with around 50 hours in 2011–13.
