Official: We Love TV
Delegates at last weekend’s TV festival have little to worry about, according to new research which shows that an average 54% of the population say they would be lonely without their TV, even though 67% say there is often nothing worth watching on. These and other contradictory results caused Nigel Horne, editor of the Radio Times, which commissioned the survey, to describe it as “A fascinating insight into our guilty love affair with TV.”
The survey, conducted by MORI, found that the UK has an average 2.21 TV sets per household. Men said on average that they watched 2.92 hours of TV per day, while women claimed an average 3.39 hours. Children were described by parents as watching an average of 2.8 hours a day on weekdays and 3.8 hours on weekends. 8% of children watched six hours or more TV each day on weekdays while almost a quarter of children watched more than six hours a day on weekends.
In contrast, the survey also found that 40% of respondents said that their TV was on for more than 6 hours per day, and 45% for 2-6 hours. This contrasted with only 12% of the nation admitting to watching more than 6 hours per day, while 42% said they watched 3-5 hours and 45% 0-2 hours.
Horne commented: “Its intriguing that our study is riddled with contradictions. We don’t like to be without our TV and yet we’re loath to admit that. We say our sets are on for hours each day but claim to watch far less.”
The survey was not particularly encouraging for those pushing for digital take-up, as the most common reason for plans to replace a TV in future was if the current one broke. Only 7% planned on upgrading ahead of digital switch-over. 69% of those living in digital homes said that they enjoyed watching TV more because of the increased number of channels and advanced technology.
For 42% of 18-34 year olds Comedy was the favourite genre, while Documentaries were favoured by 49% of the 55+ age group. Soaps and Documentaries also scored well with the younger adults, while 29% of the 55+ group liked Drama.
Full results of the View Of The Nation survey appear in this week’s issue of the Radio Times
Radio Times: 020 8576 2000 www.radiotimes.co.uk
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