HD and PVR dominate charts, whilst 35% of smart TV owners never use device to connect to internet

The latest TeleScope report from the TV Licensing Authority reveals new insights into the nation’s viewing habits, showing that the average person watched 242 minutes of TV each day in 2012.

In 2012, it was HD and HD Ready TVs that dominated the living room, with 70% of homes now owning a HD TV. 47% of homes have a PVR, whilst 5% own a Smart TV – 35% of which admitted to having never connected to the internet via their device.

However, Smart TV sales have soared since 2010. Between the first quarter of 2010 and the same period in 2012, Smart TV sales increased by 211%, from 115,000 to 358,000 units per quarter.

Smartphone and tablet sales have also experienced significant growth, with 39% of the British public currently owning a smartphone, and 11% owning a tablet. Of these, 23% of smartphone users and 63% of tablet users use their device to watch live TV.

Video on demand (VOD) remains strong, with almost one third of internet users using catch-up services such as 4OD and iPlayer on a weekly basis, and just over half of Smart TV owners using their sets for VOD purposes.

Timeshifted television is still struggling to catch up with other TV platforms, with less than 1% of viewers watching timeshifted TV each week. The study revealed that 49% of all timeshifted viewing is completed the same day as the programme.

“For viewers, TV has never been better,” said Lindsey Clay, Managing Director at Thinkbox. “2012 was the year TV became entirely digital when the analogue signal was switched off. TV is now the biggest digital medium – and still expanding via new platforms and services.

“We are increasingly connected and able to chat, play, discover and buy based on what we are watching, thanks to the smartphones, tablets and laptops so many of us have. These companion screens are making TV even more compelling.”

Clay also said that as well as becoming more compelling, TV is becoming more convenient – we can watch TV on any connected screen and whenever and wherever we like through on-demand services.

She concluded that there’s an “unshakeable preference for watching TV live, and the increase in doing so with a connected device to hand, is great news for the TV advertisers who continue to play a vital role in funding much of the UK’s world class TV content. The pace of expansion and improvement set in 2012 shows no sign of slowing in 2013.”

Overall in 2012, the average viewer watched approximately 1,460 hours of television, 0.05% of the total TV hours transmitted.