Brits top news moments of 2023 revealed

Britain's favourite news moments of 2023 were the King’s Coronation, Boris Johnson resigning and the Lionesses reaching the World Cup Final.

The poll of 2,000 adults identified the headlines which really captured their imagination over the past 12 months – and King Charles taking the throne came top.

While it may seem a distant memory, Boris Johnson departing Number 10 came second, and England making the final of the World Cup Women's football came third, despite their defeat.

More than 50 years after they split, the release of the ‘last ever’ song by The Beatles, 'Now and Then', was also a popular read. As was coverage of pop icon, Sir Elton John - thanks to his final UK performance when he headlined Glastonbury.

Barbie topping the box office, the rise of AI, and the return of reality TV show Big Brother also went down well with those polled by digital magazine and newspaper app, Readly.

Other notable moments making the top 30 included Donald Trump’s mugshot, a pill which halves the risk of breast cancer, and Twitter becoming X.

But the topic of Prince Harry and Meghan is something 48 percent no longer want to hear or read about. With Love Island, Phillip Schofield, and YouTube personalities also falling into this category.

How well read are you this year? Test your knowledge in this quiz to find out how much attention you were paying in 2023, including the Rugby results, the Barbie movie, Nestle discontinuing a chocolate bar to the new song by The Beatles.

Chris Couchman, Head of Content at Readly, said: "It seems that year on year, news is becoming even more shocking and there have been so many highs and lows this year. Yet, it’s nice to be able to recap on the year we’ve had – with Nigel Farage going on I’m A Celebrity to a Parkinson’s patient able to walk 6km without problems after a spinal implant.

The diversity of the news in 2023, from the unexpected and shocking to the heartwarming, truly reflects the dynamic nature of the world we live in.”

The study also found 66 percent of those polled consider themselves ‘up to date’ with current news and events. The cost-of-living crisis came out as the biggest talking point of 2023 (52 percent), followed by the Israel-Hamas war (45 percent) and AI (24 percent).

With 74 percent revealing they ‘couldn’t quite believe’ some of the stories reported in the media during the past 12 months. As such, the deaths of Matthew Perry (29 percent), Paul O’Grady (23 percent), and Sinead O’Connor (18 percent) were the biggest shocks of the year.

However, 61 percent would much rather read about positive events. And although 61 percent of people think 2023 has been a memorable year, 19 percent consider other years to be more so, with 2020 deemed more memorable.

News broadcasts on TV were found to be the place 54 percent go to get their news and current events information from. Whilst 44 percent get their news from digital magazines and newspapers, 37 percent tune into the radio and 29 percent simply rely on word of mouth.

The research carried out through OnePoll on behalf of Readly found that sports (32 percent), politics (25 percent) and entertainment (24 percent) were the topics those polled most enjoy reading or hearing about.

And it also emerged 17 percent suspect they’ve read a piece of news this year that was AI generated. With 30 percent expecting AI to dominate the news agenda even more during the next 12 months than it has done in 2023.

Chris Couchman from Readly, a magazine app with more than 7,600 titles, added: “Looking ahead, we anticipate another year of compelling stories and transformative developments.

Here’s to a year that doesn’t pass by too quickly, allowing us all to savour the moments and embrace the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. May 2024 bring us more moments that captivate, challenge, and inspire, ensuring there is always something to look forward to.”

BRIT’S FAVOURITE NEWS STORIES OF 2023:

1.       Coronation of King Charles III / Death of the Queen

2.       Boris Johnson resigns as MP

3.       Lionesses reach World Cup final

4.       Donald Trump gets his mug shot taken

5.       Pill which halves the risk of breast cancer announced

6.       Phillip Schofield leaves This Morning

7.       Parkinson’s patient able to walk 6km without problems after spinal implant

8.       The rise of AI

9.       The Beatles release their final song, ‘Now and Then’

10.   Sir Elton John headlines Glastonbury

11.   Nigel Farage appears on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

12.   Holly Willoughby leaves This Morning

13.   Peter Kay first live tour in more than a decade

14.   Barbie tops the Box Office

15.   Prince Harry releases his memoir, Spare

16.   Twitter becomes X

17.   Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE appears in public for the first time since his Top Gear crash

18.   Vinyl outsells CDs for the first time since 1987

19.   England suffer semifinal heartbreak against South Africa in the Rugby World Cup

20.   Dan Wootten is suspended from GB News/Laurence Fox is sacked

21.   Beckham airs on Netflix

22.   Sir Elton John ends touring career with final concert in Stockholm, Sweden

23.   Big Brother returns

24.   Tyson Fury controversially awarded win over Francis Ngannou

25.   Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story airs on Disney+

26.   Adele stops Las Vegas show to tell security to leave fan alone

27.   Married at First Sight airs on Channel 4

28.   Matt Hancock appears on SAS Who Dares Wins

29.   Britney Spears releases memoir, The Woman in Me

30.   Jada Pinkett Smith reveals she and Will Smith separated in 2016

Visit www.readly.com for more information.

-ENDS

For more details contact: kate.tegelaars@readly.com or 07879 818 711

Research: The survey was carried out during the period from 21 November - 5 December 2023 via the Internet, on the basis of the OnePoll Panel, based on a sample of 2000 UK adults.

About Readly

Readly is the European category leader for digital magazines. The company offers a digital subscription service that gives customers unlimited access to 7,600 magazines and newspapers. Readly has subscribers in more than 50 countries and content available in 17 different languages. In collaboration with 1200 publishers worldwide, Readly is digitising the magazine and newspaper industry. In 2022, revenues amounted to SEK 592 million. Since September 2020, the Readly share is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market. For more information, please visit https://corporate.readly.com