33% prefer to catch up away from TV
One in three people in the UK would happily ditch their traditional TV set for a connected viewing device, according to research released by broadbandchoices.co.uk.
The study, undertaken by the impartial broadband comparison site, revealed that 33% of those polled stated they would rather watch programmes on a tablet, smartphone or laptop than on a traditional television set.
Not only does the research paint a bleak future for traditional TV viewing, broadbandchoices.co.uk goes on to predict that by 2017 the ordinary television set will be replaced as the main viewing method in most British homes thanks to wireless broadband speeds.
The survey also revealed that 26% of respondents watch less TV through a standard television set than they did ten years ago, due in part to younger viewers becoming more mobile and being less inclined to sit in front of a static TV set. 37% of UK adults with home internet now watch online catch-up TV, a jump of 14% compared with just three years previously. One in five adults says they now watch catch-up TV at least once a week.
With the tablet market shipping 64 million units globally in the final quarter of 2012, TV viewing sans the TV can only be expected to rise.
The research goes on to suggest that streaming will become even more mainstream as former mainstays HMV and Blockbuster disappear from high streets forever. With fewer places available to buy tangible DVDs and Blu-Rays, services such as Netflix and LOVEFiLM, where viewers are able to download and stream film and TV content straight to their laptop, games console or Smart TV, are expected to increase in popularity during 2013.
Dominic Baliszewski, telecoms expert from broadbandchoices.co.uk said, “It’s not surprising that the old fashioned television set is losing its crown as king of the living room. With so many different ways for people to view films and programmes over a broadband connection, modern devices such as tablets allow viewers far more flexibility to choose where and when they watch their favourite shows. We could see the ordinary TV set replaced in most homes as the primary viewing device in less than five years.
“The ability to stream and download content has changed the landscape of home entertainment and put the end viewer in charge of their entertainment schedule. Make sure you have the right broadband set up that can support all this online streaming, particularly if there are multiple users in one household. Broadband availability varies by postcode so it is crucial to do your research before switching – if you haven’t changed providers in a while you could save some money too!”
Last week, connected tech company Twonky shared research that revealed 51% of UK consumers prefer to consume catch up content on the main TV.
You can read more about the findings over on broadbandchoices.co.uk