Results have just been released concerning TV viewing figures last year by the Broadcast’s Audience Research Board (Barb), the main point being that TV-viewing on average fell in 2013 from 2012, by 9 minutes to be exact so to 3 hours 55 minutes and 30 second in 2013. Wow, that’s a huge amount of time that on average we spend watching TV, and with it being an average there will be those spending even more time watching TV day in and day out.

The reasons stated do make sense: that there were the Olympics in 2012 which boosted figures then, and we had a good sunny spell in 2013 which will have reduced the figures as people were outside more. A really important factor, as some friends from Australia a few years ago commented when in the UK that the culture of Australia of good weather, lots of space, and sport, helped encourage people away from TVs and computers and gadets to interaction and enjoyment in the great outdoors.

There are also 3 other trends identified in these findings:  

• Non-TV alternative gadgets like tablets and smart phones and PCs are only 1.5% of viewings. This seems very low, particularly when you see the stats for the general use of these products for internet use, which is why surveys like this are helpful to see actual trends and different patterns of use. Whilst these new gadgets are being used for internet-based queries and searches, they’re not quite taking the lime-light when it comes to stable good old-fashioned TV watching. I guess it’s only a matter of time though as people cotton on. 

• Linear TV is reducing – a technical phrase for TV which is basically live there-and-then, as opposed to pre-recorded to watch later on. As you might expect this has decreased, with people spending less time seeing programmes live but saving them for later on. Definitely something you can see increasing for the convenience factor.

• An average of 47 TV adverts are seen by us every day. Not only is this a high number anyway, but when you think of the nature of a TV advert that is huge marketing-exposure. Each advert is probably a few minutes long, with millions of people sat down and comfortable starring at the screen glued to the advert. Compare this to the fast-moving environment of the internet, and it’s a great opportunity particularly for larger big-budget companies who are looking to re-inforce the branding of their product or service. Two immediate sectors that spring to mind are the internet based greeting-card websites like Moonpig and Funky Pigeon which have ironically advertised0 an online website product, and the cash-loan products you continually see around.