30th July 2015
Average person spends 9.5 years watching TV in their adult lifetime - a seventh of our lives!
Two thirds of adults drink alcohol while watching the box
British people binge watch a show for an average of four hours in one sitting
Almost a fifth of people admit to watching TV at work (19%)
15% of adults claim they watch majority of TV on demand
Were a nation of TV addicts, according to new research that reveals we spend more than seven full weeks1 a year in front of the telly, which adds up to a massive 9.5 years2 over an adult lifetime - thats a seventh (14%3) of our lives!
The new nationwide study of 2,000 people across the UK shines a spotlight on our current TV habits and opinions about acceptable viewing etiquette. The average person watches an average of 24 hours of TV a week; over a third (37%) eat at least one meal in front of the TV every day; and the average household now has four different devices they watch TV on.
The survey was commissioned by uktvplay.co.uk, which allows viewers to watch content from Dave, Drama, Really and Yesterday on demand. The findings reveal that 15% of us claim to watch the majority of our TV via on demand services rather than live, which significantly increases for those aged between 18 - 24 (33%). Similarly for this age group, over a third (37%) prefer to use tablets, mobiles or laptops instead of a television set.
Goggling the Box As the average person watches 24 hours of TV a week, 40% are revealed to watch at least 26 hours of TV a week, with a dedicated 7% of us watching up to 40 hours every week - over 5 and half hours a day. But its the Geordies who take the crown for being the biggest TV addicts in Britain, with 52% of respondents from the North East admitting they regularly watch over 26 hours a week, and 15% claiming they watch in excess of 40 hours of TV on a weekly basis. Those based in the East Midlands spend the least time glued to the box, only averaging 21 hours per week. On average, 63% of people indulge in alcohol while watching TV, proving that Britain has become a nation of tellyholics. Men are the most likely to reach for the bottle (66% versus 59% of women) but its the Welsh who are the most indulgent, with 70% of respondents enjoying alcohol while watching the box. The Northern Irish are the least likely to enjoy a drink with their evening viewing, with only 43% claiming they do.
Telly Binges The average British person will happily spend four hours in front of a single show. Young people are most likely to watch shows in bulk: 18-24 year olds spend an average of five hours in front of their favourite show, whereas those aged 55 and over, switch off after just three hours. Furthermore, when asked what the most important feature a catch up service should offer, 38% of people responded that collections were their top priority - so it looks as though telly binging is a habit that is here to stay.
Men vs Women The survey reveals that women and men share similar at-home TV habits; both watching an average of 24 hours a week and preferring to switch off the box by 11pm each night. However, dont be fooled into thinking this makes for harmonious telly watching, as when asked to choose just one genre to watch for the rest of their lives, the majority of men chose comedy (30%), whereas women preferred drama (43%). Women are also more likely to say its bad form to change the channel if theyre already watching a show (18%), whereas men are more relaxed about channel-changing, as only 12% say this is irritating behaviour.
Multitasking While TV viewing remains the preserve of shared family time (40%), 17% of people surveyed also enjoy watching TV with friends and housemates, and over a third (36%) admit to watching the bulk of their TV alone. West Midlanders are most likely to watch TV on their own (42%), followed by those in London (40%), while people in Northern Ireland are most likely to watch with family (48%). It seems TV watching is also a multitasking activity for many, with 46% of us regularly using a phone or a tablet at the same time as watching television programmes.
This multitasking isnt limited to the use of other devices, with people revealing they eat in front of the TV six times per week on average, while only 15% preferring not to eat in front of the TV at all. This multitasking continues at work, 19% will admit to watching TV in the workplace; over half (56%) of which are cheeky enough to do so right at their desks and a sly 9% going to the workplace bathroom. Londoners are most likely to have pulled a sickie to catch up on their favourite show (12%), followed by those in Wales (11%) - whereas South Westerners (4%) are least likely to bunk off work for a telly catch-up.
The Top Ten Commandments of modern TV Etiquette, as voted for by Brits:
It is acceptable to eat in front of the TV - 39%
People should not hog the remote - 24%
Adverts must be as entertaining as the show - 24%
Channel surfing is a turn-off - 16%
Its not OK to demand a channel change if youre a new addition to the room - 15%
You should always check someones seen a show before talking about spoilers - 15%
Its unacceptable to talk to people while they are watching TV - 13%
Its fine to watch TV in bed on a computer / tablet / phone - 13%
Entire weekends are there for binge-watching shows - 13%
Couples should not kiss / make out in front of the TV if there are other people in the room - 9%
UKTVs Controller Emma Tennant says,
Its amazing how many hours of small screen time we rack up in a lifetime - which is testament to the great programmes available to enjoy. It seems we are also increasingly taking TV out of our living rooms to watch on the go and create our own TV schedules by watching even more shows on catch up services like uktvplay.co.uk.
uktvplay.co.uk offers shows from Dave, Drama, Really and Yesterday on
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30th July 2015 
