One in ten Brits will spend over 14 years in front of their tellies over the course of a lifetime and 13 per cent of us claim we canât live without our favourite programme, according to research released today by Virgin Mediaâs TV on demand service.
The survey, conducted to gain an in-depth insight into the nationâs viewing habits, also reveals that despite almost one third (29 per cent) of Brits spending over 20 hours each week in front of the TV, it doesnât seem to matter what we are watching. A staggering 71 per cent of telly-tastic Brits claim they often find themselves sitting in front of programmes for the sake of it.
It seems that even when we arenât glued to our boxes we are still talking about them, as 52 per cent of us claim last nightâs telly regularly forms the basis of conversation with friends and family. Furthermore, it seems we are also forming an emotional connection with our TVs; when asked which programmes are most likely to have us reaching for the tissues, it was Big Brother and other reality TV shows that finished ahead of the news amongst 18-44 year olds in the Virgin Media survey.
Even though it is apparent that as a nation we are getting our TV fix and spending a lot of time talking and thinking about TV, it appears some Brits still arenât getting the most out of their telly viewing time. In an age where TV programmes are available on demand and there is more choice than ever before, we are not only watching programmes for the sake of it, but 86 per cent of us claim we often miss a show that everyone seems to be talking about. Despite the vast majority of Brits claiming to watch a wide variety of TV, the research found that a surprising 21 per cent of Brits feel they donât watch a balanced array of TV programmes, meaning they only watch their favourite shows, or switch over to something else without even thinking about it.
Leading psychologist Honey Langcaster-James commented, "As a nation we are clearly more in love with our TV than ever before, but we seem to be less concerned with what we are actually watching - unless itâs our beloved favourite show. We donât realise how much of what we watch affects us - even the survey demonstrates that TV forms the basis of much social interaction with friends - so itâs rather worrying that 71 per cent of us watch stuff for the sake of it! It's increasingly important that people think about spending their viewing time more wisely and consuming a more rounded selection of programmes."
Ashley Stockwell, Virgin Mediaâs spokesperson added, "There are currently more TV programmes than ever before, both on TV and on demand, but it seems some Brits still havenât broken free from the TV schedule. Dipping in and out of live TV and TV on demand means that no one should be watching anything for the sake of it."