The state of Welsh news media in 2025

The Welsh media sector may be small, but it provides good opportunities for communicators to reach big audiences. So who are the main players and how should we go about selling our story?

We may be living in the age of Netflix and Tiktok, but traditional news outlets still have their place. 80% of the public are ‘very’ or ‘quite’ interested in Welsh news, and tapping in to this thirst for stories remains important for public sector and non-profit communicators.

I’ve put this blogpost together with the aim of helping communications folk understand the lay of the land in early 2025, using the latest data I could find.

It’s sometimes difficult to make direct comparisons across different media. I’ve used my experience and judgement to try and help you make sense of the figures. The main sources are Ofcom’s Media Nations report and its Online Nation report.

The Big Picture

One organisation – the BBC – dominates Welsh news media. It has the biggest audiences across TV, radio and online. I also think it has the most political influence – not just because of audience size, but also due to the resources and coverage it devotes to the Senedd.

In terms of platforms, despite the rapid growth of online news, TV is still the main platform in Wales, with ITV Cymru Wales providing strong competition to the BBC.

Around half of us use websites and apps for news, and it’s striking how popular Wales Online is, challenging the BBC and the big London-based media.

Of course, people follow a mix of local, Welsh, UK and international news – and Wales does get covered by UK and global outlets too. Beyond audience size, we also need to consider other factors. Welsh-language media and more local or niche outlets are important for certain audiences.

TV News in Wales

A massive 64% of us in Wales watch TV news. So if you’re a communicator, you should at least consider how to secure TV coverage for your organisation.

Looking in more detail, BBC 1 (47%) and ITV 1 (34%) are the main broadcasters. These channels both broadcast separate programmes for the whole UK and for Wales specifically.

BBC Wales Today has a main weekday programme at 6:30PM, and ITV Wales News is at 6PM. These are supplemented by daytime/late/weekend bulletins. ITV Wales has a more ‘human interest’ focus than the BBC, which leans more towards covering political issues.

S4C’s Newyddion provides a similar service in Welsh but has a mix of Welsh and international news in its programmes. Newyddion is produced by the BBC.

Beyond the news, there are political and current affairs programmes too. ITV Wales has its weekly Sharp End show, and BBC Wales has Politics Wales each Sunday.

Of course, these broadcasters repurpose stories and video content for radio, websites, apps and social media. Earn TV coverage and the impact could be far-reaching.

News websites and apps

Online news is closing in on TV, with 48% of us in Wales using apps and websites to stay updated:

• The BBC’s online service (Welsh and international news) is top, with a reach of 1.64 million.
• Wales Online (1.19 million – mainly Welsh news) is second, followed by popular UK sites from The Sun, The Mail and The Mirror.
• Other national Wales-based sites include Nation.Cymru which claims an average 1 million page views per month and Welsh-language Golwg 360 which claims around 45,000 website visits per week.
• As well as national services, regional news websites have big audiences. North Wales Live had 9.2 million page views in Sept 2023. The South Wales Argus site had 3.6 million.

As with TV, the BBC has a strong ‘public service’ agenda with high prominence given to politics and social affairs. Wales Online is more ‘tabloid’, with an emphasis on crime, human interest, consumer and showbiz stories.

Radio and Podcasts

Radio is an important source of news in Wales, but here the figures are especially difficult to compare.

44% of us say we listen to radio for news updates. But given that 89% of us listen to the radio each week, and that all the main stations broadcast some news, it seems to me that the real figure could be higher.

According to OFCOM (citing RAJAR figures), the stations with the biggest market share are BBC Radio 2 (18%), BBC Radio 4 (11%) and Heart (8.8%). These stations offer very little news about Wales though. For in-depth Welsh news, we need to look to 4th-placed BBC Radio Wales, as well as BBC Radio Cymru (which takes 4th position in the north of Wales).

BBC Radio Wales has a weekly reach of 384,000 and BBC Radio Cymru 113,000. These stations offer extended news and current affairs programmes 7 days a week, as well as hourly bulletins. Key programmes include Radio Wales Breakfast and Dros Frecwast on Radio Cymru. On Sunday mornings, Radio Wales broadcasts the Sunday Supplement political programme.

18% of Welsh adults listen to podcasts once a week. Podcasts about Welsh news and current affairs include Walescast and Gwleidydda by the BBC and the independently produced For Wales, See Wales.

Newspapers and News Magazines

Print news media is now a minor player in Wales – just 22% say it’s one of our news sources.

Beyond the big UK titles, Welsh papers and magazines have small readerships. The Western Mail – the ‘national newspaper of Wales’ had a circulation (average per issue) of just over 5000 in 2023, with regional title The North Wales Daily Post on 8350. Golwg – a weekly Welsh-language news magazine – claims around 7500 magazine readers a week.

From a media relations point of view, these print circulations aren’t very relevant, since these publications tend to publish stories both in print and online.

Conclusions – securing media coverage in Wales

I’m not going to explain the basics of media relations in this post. But here are some things to consider in terms of the nature of the news media in Wales:

• The dominance of TV news means it’s especially important to be able to sell in picture-led stories with strong case studies. Take the time to work with TV reporters and provide the assets they need.
• Likewise, having good media spokespeople for broadcast is very useful. Have yours had media training lately?
• Provide spokespeople and case study subjects who can speak Welsh.
• Develop good relationships with individual reporters who specialise in the issue you work on. BBC Wales is a good starting point.
• If you can frame your story in a way that appeals to people beyond Wales, consider London-based media. A UK media ‘hit’ could be very influential. The Guardian is one outlet that covers Welsh political and cultural stories fairly regularly.
• Don’t put too much weight on audience figures, as important as they are. A strong story covered by a smaller site like Nation.Cymru, for example, still has the potential to be very influential and gain traction via social media.
• A human interest angle is always important, but especially so for Wales Online, ITV Wales or securing UK coverage in the tabloids (and their online counterparts).

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