Digital TV News

World Cup 2010 boosts TV viewing figures

Friday 20 August, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

High-definition coverage of the World Cup helped boost TV viewing figures to an average of 28 hours and 15 minutes a week per person, according to new figures.

People are watching more TV and it’s thanks to this summer’s World Cup.

The number of hours people spent in front of their TV screen in the first six months of 2010 rose to 28 hours and 15 minutes a week, according to the latest figures.

This is two hours more a week than in the same period in 2009, according to the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB).

Experts at Thinkbox, who published the figures, have put the rise down to people tuning into watch wall-to-wall coverage of the World Cup during June.

The tournament was broadcast in high-definition (HD) for the first time ever - also boosting the number of HD ready TVs sold in the UK to 24 million.

Football fans stay home to watch the match in high-definition

Tess Alps, chief executive at Thinkbox, said: “We know that technology is making TV ever more attractive, and we should never underestimate the fundamental importance of compelling content.”

“The World Cup was a major TV event in the first half of the year, on top of other successful new programmes, such as the election debates, Take Me Out, Mo, Going Postal, Flash Forward and Glee. It all points to the enormous appeal of linear TV in the UK as new ways to watch TV grow.”

Thinkbox said the rise could also be due to Brits choosing to stay in rather than spending money to go out. It suggested that viewers may have also been tempted to watch more because of the rise in the number of TV channels.

This research supports findings from regulator Ofcom published yesterday, which found that during 2009 the average person watched 3 hours and 45 minutes of TV a day.

Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk, said: “It’s hardly surprising that more and more homes are choosing to stay in and watch sports and films, as the price for things like cinema tickets and a pint in the pub are going up.”