Stephen Nolan remains BBC’s fifth highest paid presenter

About 86% of adults in Northern Ireland used BBC TV or iPlayer, radio or online services each week in 2023-24, up slightly from 84% in 2022-23.

Just under two-thirds of adults in Northern Ireland – 62% – used BBC Online on average per week, the same as 2022-23.

However, the number of adults in Northern Ireland using services like BBC Sounds or iPlayer rose.

But fewer than half of Northern Irish adults felt that the BBC was “effective at reflecting people like them,” according to the report.

And there was a fall in the proportion who watched BBC TV News in Northern Ireland, from 43% in 2022-23 to 40% in 2023-24.

The BBC’s income from the licence fee in Northern Ireland alone also fell by £2m, from £98m in 2022-23 to £96m in 2023-24.

In his comments in the report, the chair of the BBC Northern Ireland committee Michael Smyth said the BBC was “valued by audiences in Northern Ireland”.

“It’s an enabler of great programmes and necessary conversations, reflecting local diversity, showcasing talent and providing points of connection for people from different backgrounds and places,” he wrote.

“All of this matters and is arguably more important than ever before.”