Usage of smartphones and tablets while watching television is rising, particularly among young adults. The Mediatel Connected Screens survey reports on usage of different screens in the United Kingdom, from televisions to computers, tablets and smartphones. Despite more ways of viewing programmes, traditional television still predominates.
The survey found that 72% of broadband homes had a high-definition television and 4% claimed to have a 4K or Ultra HD set. Just 3% reported having no television.
90% of respondents said they watched television as it is broadcast at least once a week, with 69% saying they do so every day. 67% said they had ever viewed programmes they had recorded themselves, while 61% said they had watched an online catch-up service from a broadcaster, with 46% doing so at least once a week.
34% said they had a smart television, of which 84% were connected to the internet. 44% of those with a smart television said they used apps on their television on a daily or weekly basis, while 24% used them occasionally, with the rest barely using them since connecting.
The television is the most popular screen on which to watch catch-up programmes. 26% of those in broadband homes said they did so most days. Personal computers followed, at 19%, followed by tablets at 8% and smartphones at 7%.
The research found that 67% of adults in broadband homes use a laptop, 66% use a smartphone, and 49% use a tablet.
Multi-screen media usage is growing but the most common screen used while watching television remains the laptop or personal computer, at least for older viewers.
54% of those in broadband homes watch a television screen while using a laptop or personal computer at least once a week.
47% watch television while using a smartphone, rising to 60% for those households that have one. 73% of those aged 16-24 used a smartphone while watching television at least once a week, 32% saying they did so on a daily basis.
Tablet usage while watching television on a weekly basis was a little lower at 36%, rising to 57% among those aged 25-34.
25% of adults in broadband homes said they used a subscription online video service. 23% said they had access to Netflix, rising to 45% of men aged 16-24. 13% had access to Amazon Prime, although it was 34% of 16-42 year-old male respondents.
19% said they used such a service on their television at least once a week. 14% said they did so on a laptop, while 10% used a tablet to watch.
The report notes: “‘on demand” may play an important role, but broadband homes are far from ‘living in a non-linear world’.”
Wave 1 of the Connected Screens 2015 research was conducted between January and April 2015, based on over 2000 interviews across a representative sample of adults in broadband homes in the United Kingdom. The full report is available form Mediatel.