Figures from Ofcom show that TV viewing in the UK has increased, despite the perceived threat from the internet and social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter.
The broadcast regulator says that viewers watched an average of three hours and 45 minutes a day in 2009, up three per cent on viewing in 2004. The rise is credited to the popularity of ‘appointment TV’ shows like The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Strictly Ballroom and Dr Who.
Increased TV viewing is also ascribed to the rise of PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) which are now in 37 per cent of UK homes and HD TV, which is now available to more than 5 million homes across the country. Catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Player have also had their part to play.
The Ofcom figures show that older viewers are likely to watch more television, with the average 65-year-old watching five hours and 14 minutes a day (as well as being more likely to complain about the quality of programming, with 53 per cent of over-65s saying programmes had got worse).
Digital TV passed the 90 per cent mark for the first time in 2009, with 92.1 per cent of homes having digital TV by the first quarter of 2010. The average weekly reach of multichannel TV exceeded that of the five main TV channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5) also for the first time in 2009.
Radio has also enjoyed a boost, with a new high of 90.6 per cent of the UK’s population – 46.8 million adults – tuning in at least once a week in the second quarter of 2010, though the actual amount of time we spend listening to the radio has fallen by 5.3per cent in the five years to 2009.