Pandemic drives TV changes - 30 August 2021

Are you watching more TV now than before the start of the pandemic? In the UK, a study on communication suggests TV viewing has risen. The numbers show adults spent 5 hours and 40 minutes watching TV and online videos, which is 47 minutes more than in 2019.

People aged 45 and above spent around three hours watching traditional TV broadcasts. But for the first time, more people had a Netflix subscription than a paid TV service. This allows viewers to watch streamed TV. Four out of five UK homes now have an internet-connected TV.

Time spent on video on demand services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video grew the most. The numbers doubled in 2020 to 65 minutes per adult per day. Meanwhile, for online user-created video services, YouTube remained the most popular. On average, British adults view YouTube content 41 minutes each day.

Director of the research, Yih-Choung Teh, said that the pandemic had caused the overall rise. Covid-19 was also behind the major shift in viewing habits to streaming services. He said that in 2020 people spent "a third of their waking hours" attached to screens "for news and entertainment".