TV Set Dominates U.K. Viewing

LONDON: According to research from Thinkbox, 98.5 percent of television viewing in the U.K. last year was done on a TV set, with just 1.5 percent on other devices.

The average Briton tuned in to just under 4 hours of TV a day, with the bulk of that, 3 hours and 52 minutes, dedicated to linear television. The average viewing was down slightly in 2012, largely due to the lack of any major sporting events.

Meanwhile, there was an average of 3 minutes and 30 seconds a day of viewing on tablets, smartphones and laptops, largely on-demand but also including some live streaming. Non-TV-set viewing is up slightly on the 1.2 percent from 2012.

Thinkbox, using data from BARB, also points out that the average person watched 2 hours and 33 minutes of commercial television a day, accounting for 68 percent of linear viewing, up from 66 percent in 2012. Among those aged 16 to 34, commercial TV accounted for 76 percent of linear viewing.