British Viewers Embracing Catch-Up TV

LONDON: Catch-up TV currently accounts for a fifth of TV viewing in the U.K., according to the first-ever YouView census into national television habits for 2013.

In a typical week, the average TV viewer in the U.K. watches around nine hours of television; six hours of TV use for the average home is spent with catch-up/on-demand services. With those 18 to 24, the figure rises to nine hours and 20 minutes, which is around a third of their weekly TV viewing. Parents of those under 16 estimate that their kids watch around seven hours per week of catch-up TV. With those over 55, catch-up comprises around 14 percent of their viewing time.

The study also finds that while average homes record around ten programs in a given week, they delete four of those on average without watching. Entertainment is the most likely to be deleted (36 percent), followed by films (32 percent) and documentaries (32 percent).

Spending on subscription TV services has increased, by around 40 percent in five years. The average monthly household payment is now £29.89. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) spend more than £50 per month.

Steve Conway, the head of marketing at YouView, said, “Television is a huge part of British life but we know the way people view it is changing beyond all recognition. What is becoming important to TV fans is being able to watch what they want, whenever they want it and this research supports that.

“Among 18- to 24-year-olds, 37 percent said the ability to watch on demand TV was very important compared to a quarter nationally and as a nation we are craving more and more time with our favorite programs, on our own terms.

“YouView seamlessly integrates live and on demand TV on your television and the results of this survey are interesting as it shows a quarter questioned are now watching more TV than five years ago and more than three quarters watch television content on their TV.”