UK linear TV viewing hits 30 hours per week

People in the UK watched 30 hours and 4 minutes of broadcast TV a week during the first quarter of 2010, up 2 hours and 29 minutes year on year, according to new BARB figures published in Thinkbox’s Q1 Review.

Commercial broadcast TV viewing accounted for 61.46% of total viewing in Q1, with the average viewer watching 18 hours, 29 minutes of commercial TV, up by an hour year on year.

Commercial impacts in Q1 – the number of ads watched at normal speed – were up 4.9% on the same period last year and 22% over the last five years. The average viewer watched 48 ads a day in Q1, up from 45 ads a day in Q1 2009.

Time-shifted viewing accounted for 6.9% of TV consumption in Q1. In households that have digital television recorders such as Sky+ or Freeview+, timeshifting represented a larger proportion of TV viewing (13.7%).

Around 80% of time-shifted viewing took place within seven days of the original broadcast (time-shifted and on-demand viewing that occurred after seven days is not included in the BARB figures).

Tess Alps, Thinkbox chief executive, said: “Anyone who doubted the continuing importance and popularity of broadcast TV in the UK should hopefully be convinced by these new figures.

“However, record levels are unlikely to continue. We are nearing the peak, if we are not there already. Once analogue signals are finally turned off in 2012, the figures are likely to stabilise, but hopefully will remain at these high levels.

“Advertisers are taking advantage of the continued growth in commercial TV and its proven ability to deliver profit to the bottom line, and this is reflected in the forecasts for growth this year.”