
EIGHT IN TEN (78%) BUSY BRITS MULTITASK WHILE WATCHING TV Only a fifth (22%) of people settle down to the TV without interruption, reinforcing the rising media meshing' trend apparent in households today
A recent study undertaken by BT TV examined Britain's viewing habits, and has proved that we are a nation that cannot sit still. Eight in ten people are distracted by other forms of entertainment and everyday tasks such as responding to emails, reading, internet shopping and online dating.
Challenging some stereotypes around gender related habits, more women (29%) than men (20%) admitted to gaming whilst watching TV, with 13% of men claiming to do the ironing while watching the box. Nearly half the nation (47%) check emails while watching their favourite shows, with a quarter (24%) of 18-24 year olds checking work emails, ranking as the hardest working group of all.
The research has uncovered a nation of super savvy viewers, whose busy lives eat in to TV time', enforcing the need for flexible TV scheduling. Over half (51%) of respondents admitted that they don't have a specific time set aside to watch TV, with one in ten favouring pre-recorded content over live TV, recording the majority (90%) of their total viewing. Over 65s record nearly a third (30%) of their programming to watch at a later date, which is only 6% less than the 18 24 age group.
The need for personalised packages is obvious from further statistics uncovered by the study, which found that 65% of women prefer drama programming, compared to 50% of men, 38% of women prefer soap operas compared to just 18% of men. Typically, more men (33%) prefer sci-fi shows compared to women (22%).
BT TV features must have' HD movies, channels and sport and a free YouView box that lets you pause and record so you don't miss the TV you love.
BT's core Entertainment pack is just £7 month with BT Infinity which includes popular pay TV channels like Comedy Central, Discovery and Gold and access to Curzon Home Cinema and BT Box Office, with many films before Netflix and Lovefilm. You can also add Sky Movies, kids channels, HD or music completely flexibly just give 30 days' notice and you can cancel at any time. A perfect boost for rainy Sundays and long winter evenings.
Alex Green, director of TV for BT, said: We now offer over 100 TV channels, many with a fantastic HD quality experience, including BT Sport. But we know that people don't want to pay for loads of channels they don't watch so our kids, HD and movie bolt-ons allow customers to buy what they need, when they need it. We're also proud to offer the most catch up content of any TV service so no more schedule clashes.
-Ends-
Notes to editors *Research carried out across a nationally representative panel of 2.053 adults by ICM, October 2013
Not all lines in fibre enabled areas can support the BT Infinity service. Visit www.bt.com/infinity to see if your line can.
BT TV Entertainment:
£35 activation for new TV customers signing up for 12 months, pay £7 a month. You'll need a fast enough line, BT Infinity and a BT line. A 10m cable will be provided or you'll be charged £35 if an engineer install is needed. You'll get a YouView box (unless you're taking Sky Sports too) but if you stop your service in the first year we will charge you up to £299. You'll need to pay by Direct Debit. Availability of digital channels and quality of content depends on local transmitter and suitable rooftop aerial (www.freeview.co.uk/availability). We'll charge you for on demand content and HD/box office films not included in your bolt-on(s). Subject to availability. Bolt-ons: Available on a 1 month minimum term. Monthly charge of £3 Music on demand / £5 Film & TV Box Sets on demand / £3 HD Extra channels / £3 Kids Extra channels. HD on demand requires suitable HDMI cable, a HD ready TV and 5Mbps minimum line speed for streaming. Curzon Home Cinema: Offers selection of films for £10 each on same day as cinema release. Film can be viewed multiple times within 7 days of purchase. Terms apply.
Additional stats:
Top five most popular TV genres
Drama (58%)
Factual/Documentary (55%)
Comedy (50%)
Sport (31%)
Soaps (28%)
Top five favourite TV themes
Only Fools & Horses stands test of time, despite no new episodes being aired for 22 years, it gets twice as many votes as current favourite Downton Abbey
Only Fools and Horses (14%)
Friends (11%)
Downton Abbey (6%)
Strictly Come Dancing (4%)
Eastenders (3%)
Top five most popular film genres:
Action/thriller (55%)
Drama (50%)
Comedy (50%)
Sci-fi (33%)
Factual/Documentary (28%)
Mums' top five favourite film genres:
Action/thriller (50%)
Comedy (44%)
Drama (35%)
Horror (30%)
Rom Com (27%)
Dads' top five favourite film genres:
Action/thriller (68%)
Comedy (59%)
Sci fi (48%)
Drama (36%)
Factual/Documentary (29%)
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
NVIDIA kicked off the year at CES, where the crowd buzzed about the latest gaming announcements - including the native GeForce NOW app for Linux and Amazon Fire...
14/01/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 13th January, 2026 ITV, one of the UKs leading broadcasters, has selected Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), to ...
14/01/2026
Tech Focus: Audio Consoles, Part 2 - New Options for Virtual MixingA variety of solutions offer both technical and economic benefitsBy Dan Daley, Audio Editor
...
14/01/2026
Tech Focus: Audio Consoles, Part 1 - Key Component Evolves Toward the Totally Vi...
14/01/2026
SVG Summit 2025: Audio from Monday Workshops Now AvailableListen to sessions from Live Production Innovation, AI Production Tools, Cloud Production, Content Wor...
14/01/2026
The L3Harris large T7 robotic systems will provide U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines wi...
14/01/2026
Steiger Media's adoption of Calrec's compact Argo M console not only makes its innovative new hybrid truck faster, more efficient, and agile, but also e...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
January 14th, 2026
TRIBECA ANNOUNCES BEST NEW YORK SHORT AWARD FOR 25TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL
In Celebration of Its 25th Anniversary, Tribeca Introduces a N...
14/01/2026
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Sky News announces Cathy Newman to lead flagship new political programme
Sky News today announces that award-winning journalist and ...
14/01/2026
Back to All News
State of Fear, The First Spin-Off of a Netflix Brazil Producti...
14/01/2026
The first stamp of An Post's 2026 Stamp Programme, marking 100 Years of Broadcasting, was unveiled at the GPO by Patrick O'Donovan TD, Minister for Cult...
14/01/2026
It's official! Beverley Callard has landed in Carrigstown. The beloved actor, known for her unforgettable roles and iconic screen presence, is joining the c...
13/01/2026
Independent media in Brazil and Colombia is facing an urgent crisis of traditional business models alongside a deteriorating security environment, according to ...
13/01/2026
NHL Situation Room 2.0: How Sony Hawk-Eye Powers Centralized Officiating, Player...
13/01/2026
NBC Sports Ices the Audio for the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championship...
13/01/2026
DMF and MXL in practice: Which vendors are adopting it, and how fast is the ecos...
13/01/2026
CES 2026: Five Important Sports-Tech BuzzwordsThe terms highlight innovations for sports production at the showBy Daniel Frankel, SVG Contributor
Tuesday, Jan...
13/01/2026
For TGL Season 2, Unity 6 Boosts Virtual-Graphic Quality; COSM 360 Cameras Impro...
13/01/2026
Resetting Expectations? The State of the Sports Industry with Devoncroft's J...
13/01/2026
Top Row L-R: Ana Katz, Natalia Almada, Bao Nguyen, Tatiana Maslany, A.V. Rockwell, Dr. Heather Berlin
Second Row L-R: Sophie Barthes, Azazel Jacobs, Janicza Br...
13/01/2026
DoW to invest $1B in planned independently traded Missile Solutions business...
13/01/2026
L3Harris Chairman and CEO Christopher Kubasik and Under Secretary of War for Acq...
13/01/2026
April 10, 2025
First Gulf has taken a significant step in its U.S. expansion with the launch of its first industrial development in the country.
First Westla...
13/01/2026
April 11, 2025
Canadian footwear retailer SoftMoc has signed a lease for 145,600 square feet at 901 Hopkins Street in Whitby, where the space will serve as a w...
13/01/2026
April 14, 2025
First Gulf is proud to announce that 25 Ontario has officially received its occupancy permit, marking the transition from an active construction...
13/01/2026
April 28, 2025
First Gulf has been awarded a design-build lease for a new 350,000 square foot office and warehouse facility for Sherwin-Williams. This project ...
13/01/2026
August 13, 2025
First Gulf Expands U.S. Industrial Footprint with First Savanna...
13/01/2026
August 13, 2025
First Gulf is proud to partner with Toromont Industries Ltd. to...
13/01/2026
October 10, 2025
First Gulf is pleased to announce that PPFD, a leading third-party logistics company, has leased 146,536 square feet at 901 Hopkins Street in ...
13/01/2026
Singapore - January 13, 2026 - Nielsen today announced the appointment of Matty Lin to its Commercial Organization as APAC regional sales leader.
Based in Sing...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Nine-week performance series brings music, dance, theatre, and storytelling to downtown Durham, January - March 2026 (Durham, NC) The Chamber Orchestra of the T...
13/01/2026
Berklee Launches AIMS, an Artist-Centered Summit on Music and AI Hosted by the Berklee Emerging Artistic Technology Lab (BEATL), the event will focus on the i...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...