In 2023, the average time spent per individual watching broadcast television in the UK amounted to 158 minutes per day. Despite an initial short spike in viewing time in 2020, likely due to the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, broadcast TV consumption declined each year since 2010. Older audiences tended to consume traditional TV more than their younger counterparts, with people aged 65 years and over watching TV more than five hours on a daily basis, compared to less than an hour among 16 to-24-year-olds. Internet-connected devices transform the TV market The television continues to be crucial to the UK’s media landscape, regardless of declining TV viewing time. The most recent data showed that the number of TV households in the region increased from 26.7 million in 2017 to more than 27 million in 2021, as smart TVs and connected TVs become the devices of choice. In 2022, the penetration rate of smart TV sets peaked in 2021 and 2022 at 67 percent. Alteration of consumer habits While traditional TV consumption has declined lately, online TV services provided by broadcasters have increased in popularity. The average daily viewing time of broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) in the UK doubled between 2018 and 2022. Additionally, online audiovisual revenues grew by nearly four billion British pounds during the same period, demonstrating the recent shift from linear TV towards online video alternatives.

This statistic displays the genre breakdown of television viewing in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020. In 2020, entertainment content accounted for 15.8 percent of viewing, while documentaries accounted for 12.41 percent of viewing.

This statistic provides the results of a survey on traditional television watching habits in the United Kingdom (UK) in November 2018, broken down by age group. The survey found that 93 percent of UK viewers aged 56 years and above watched linear TV on a weekly basis compared to 65 percent of those aged between 15 and 25 years.

The results of a survey carried out in the United Kingdom (UK) between 2019 and 2020 revealed that younger generations are more likely to use social media while watching TV. Individuals aged from 18 to 24 years old made up over a third of respondents saying they always used social media sites while watching TV, whereas five percent stated they never did.

TV usage in the UK

The number of TV households increased in the UK between 2004 and 2019, reaching nearly 27 million households in the latter year. Nevertheless, the average time spent per individual watching broadcast TV has been declining continuously since 2010, recording a decrease of almost an hour by 2019. In general, the time spent watching broadcast TV is higher among older individuals. Adults aged 75 and above spent the most time watching broadcast TV daily.

Online TV

The revenue generated from online TV in the UK increased exponentially between 2006 and 2019. As of 2019, online TV revenue exceeded three billion British pounds. In the first half of 2018, BBC iPlayer was the leading online television service in the UK, with approximately one third of UK adults using this service. This was followed by Netflix and YouTube, with respective shares of 28 percent and 17 percent.

In 2019/2020 in the UK, a third of respondents aged 18 to 24 said that while watching television they often looked online for something not related to what they were watching on TV. Over half of those aged 25 to 34 said they often or always did so.

This statistic displays the total weekly television reach in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2020, broken down by demographic. Of women in the UK, 95.8 percent were reached by television in 2020.

The results of a survey carried out in the UK in 2019/2020 show that younger generations are more likely to talk to friends and family while watching TV. A quarter of respondents aged between 18 and 24 said they always did so.

This statistic shows the results of a survey on traditional television watching habits compared to the previous year in the United Kingdom (UK) in November 2018. The survey found that 43 percent of respondents watched less traditional TV compared to the year before, whereas roughly half of respondents stated to have watched the same amount.

The results of a survey carried out in the UK in 2019/2020 show that younger generations are more likely to play games while watching TV. Just 15 percent of those aged 18 to 24 said they never played games while watching TV, compared to 43 percent over over 65s.

The results of a survey carried out in the UK in 2019/2020 show how often different generations do household chores while watching TV. Roughly a third of all generations said they sometimes did household chores at the same time as watching television.

The results of a survey carried out in the UK in 2019/2020 show which generations are more likely to read magazines or newspapers while watching TV. Just under a third of over 65s sometimes do so. Roughly one fifth of all respondents hardly ever do this.

In the UK, over one third of television viewers mostly used cable, satellite, or antenna to watch live sports programming, according to an early 2024 survey. In comparison, 30 percent of respondents stated to watch sports content mostly on streaming apps, while five percent said to only consume via these services.

The results of a survey carried out in the UK in 2019/2020 show that younger generations are more likely to message friends and family while watching TV. Almost a third of respondents aged between 18 and 24 said they always did so.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the most popular TV channels and video streaming services in the United Kingdom were Channel 4 and ITV, with 76 percent of respondents giving a positive rating for these platforms. Netflix ranked as the third most popular TV channel, followed by BBC One.

The results of a survey carried out in the UK in 2019/2020 show how often different generations participate using program-specific apps (e.g. I'm a Celebrity, X Factor) while watching TV. Half of those aged 25 to 34 said they never do this. A quarter of respondents aged 18 to 24 said they do sometimes.

This statistics displays the online TV services used weekly to watch TV programmes in the United Kingdom in 2013, broken down by age of viewer. According to YouGov, 23 percent of total UK respondents reported using YouTube weekly to watch TV programmes.

This statistic shows the results of a survey comparing the development of traditional television and video streaming consumption in the United Kingdom (UK) in November 2018. The survey found that 21 percent of respondents stated that they watched less traditional TV and streamed or downloaded more TV, series or movies compared to the previous year.

This statistic shows the results of a survey on the professional sports viewing habits of Millennials in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017. The survey found that 54 percent of UK Millennials admitted to having watched sports via unofficial streaming services, whereas only 21 percent of Non-Millennials had done so. Millennials were also less likely to have be subscribed to a paid sports channel, at 14 percent, compared to 24 percent of Non-Millennials.

A survey conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024 in the United Kingdom showed that the highest-ranked TV show was "Only Fools and Horses" with 70 percent of respondents giving it a positive rating. The shows "The Two Ronnies," "The Martin Lewis Money Show," and " Mr. Bean" followed with a 68, 67 and 66 percent popularity score, respectively.

The results of a survey carried out in the UK in 2019/2020 show how often different generations eat meals while watching TV. A quarter of millennials always eat while watching TV, and this rises to 30 percent among Gen Z respondents. More than a third of all respondents said the often eat a meal while watching television.