Increasing take-up of smartphones and tablets is boosting time online, according to Ofcom’s 2015 communications market report, which has more than doubled over the last decade.
As tablet penetration reaches 54% in the UK, up from just 2% in 2011, time spent online each week by internet users aged 16 has swelled from just under 10 hours in 2005 to 20 hours and 30 minutes in 2014.
2014 also saw the biggest increase in time spent online in a decade, with internet users spending more than three and a half hours longer online each week compared with the previous year.
As a result, TV viewing habits are shifting – although slowly – with Ofcom finding that 57% of 16-24 year olds regularly watch on-demand and catch-up TV on their laptop or PC, 45% on a smartphone and 40% on a set-top box.
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But, despite growth in online viewing, TV still reaches the overwhelming majority of people, with 92% of the UK watching TV each week (down -1% year on year) for 3 hours and 40 minutes a day on average – 11 minutes less per day compared with 2013.
However, while the UK population is spending a little less time in front of the box, the UK TV industry is still booming and generated £13.2 billion in revenue in 2014, up 3.1% year on year.
Of this, pay-TV subscription revenues were up 1.9% to £6 billion, while online TV revenue increased by 38% to £793 million – with income from online TV subscriptions increasing by 53% to £317 million, according to data from IHS.
