UK online TV viewing slows
January 4, 2012
The growth of online TV viewing in the UK is slowing, according to figures from BARB.
Almost 15 per cent of respondents to BARB’s biannual study, which tracked viewing habits over a week in November 2011, said they watched TV on a PC, laptop or tablet computer during that period – a rise of only 0.5 per cent compared to November 2010.
The study of about 4,000 viewers saw online watching rise from 11.2 per cent in November 2009 to 14.4 per cent the following year.
Barb said the “plateau” in online viewing could be attributed to the rise in digital set-top boxes and the boom in popularity of catch-up services on Internet connected TVs, such as Sky+ and Virgin TV On Demand.
The study found that viewing on mobile devices continued to rise – almost doubling in use among young adults, year on year – as Brits rushed to buy smartphones in the second half of 2011.
Almost 3 per cent of respondents claimed to have watched TV on their mobile phone during the tracking period last year, up from 1.9 per cent in November 2010 and 1.1 per cent in November 2009.