On average adults in the United Kingdom spent 3 hours 15 minutes per day online in 2018. That translates to 1,192 hours over the year, or the equivalent of around 50 days on the internet. YouTube is the number one online video service, with users watching for an average of 27 minutes a day, compared to 15 minutes for Netflix, 4.5 minutes for the BBC iPlayer or 2.5 minutes for the ITV Hub.
Children and young adults spent much more time online than they did watching television. However, 13% of adults report that they do not use the internet, rising to 33 for those aged 65 to 74 and up to 48% for those aged over 75.
The figures come from the new annual Online Nation report from the communications regulator Ofcom.
35% of the total time spent online in the United Kingdom is on sites owned by Google or Facebook, which account for an estimated 61% of online advertising revenue in the United Kingdom.
The Ofcom technology tracker indicates that 39% of adults using the internet use it to watch television or video in a given week. That number is actually down from 42% in 2016.
Around nine in 10 internet users visit YouTube every month, spending an average of 27 minutes a day on the site. A similar number visit Facebook, spending an average of 23 minutes a day there.
The research suggests that 41% of those aged 25-34 use YouTube at least once a day, while a further 34% use it at least once a week.
Across all those aged over 16, 57% use YouTube at least once a week. Even among those aged over 65 that figure is 28%, although 32% never use it.
Music videos are the single most popular type of video viewed among all those aged over 16, with 62% of those that use services like YouTube or Vimeo watching them, followed by 57% viewing tips or tutorials, and 56% watching funny videos, pranks or challenges.
News, current affairs and documentaries are watched by 29%, with the same number for sports clips. 25% say they watch whole programmes or films.
Only 10% say they watch video from ‘vloggers’ or influencers, although that rises to 24% among those aged 16-24.
Only 44% of those surveyed by Ofcom appeared to understand that YouTube is mainly funded by advertising.
YouTube easily ranks number one among digital entertainment sites, at 92% of the digital population, with an average time spent by visitor per day of 27 minutes. That is followed by Spotify with a reach of 41% and an average of 25 minutes.
The BBC iPlayer ranks third, with a reach of 27% and average daily use of just 4.5 minutes.
Netflix ranks fourth, with a reach of 26% but a high user of nearly 15 minutes a day.
ITV comes fifth, with a reach of 18% but average use of just 2.5 minutes.
The Online Nation report is published by Ofcom and is available from its web site.