British TV viewing hits a record low

Brits are watching less TV than ever before, with average viewing time across all platforms falling by 14 minutes since 2013, according to new research. The study, from HIS, looked at TV viewing times across the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

European-wide trends

New research from IHS Technology indicates that traditional broadcast television viewing is being overtaken by two forces: Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) like Sky+ and online video from services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer. More time than ever before is being shifted from traditional broadcast television to online.

UK – Fast adopters of online viewing

In the UK, 2014 saw record lows for traditional TV viewing time, with the average Brit watching around three hours of TV each day, down 14 minutes from the year before. The growth in time-shifted viewing, or the sum of all recorded programming and online consumption, meant that Brits actually watched less TV in total in 2014 than in 2013.

“The UK was an early mover with high quality online catch-up services from local broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4,” said Dan Cryan, senior director of media and content at IHS Technology. “This has now been joined with clever marketing initiatives like ‘digital box sets’ from Sky and the presence of the major platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.”

In 2005, under three minutes a day was spent watching recorded TV, but in 2014, Brits spent approximately 43 minutes a day watching recorded shows on services like Sky+ and YouView, concluded the study.