-- --
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
With the brisk winter weather upon us, people will be huddled up in front of their televisions to spend a cosy night indoors. To start off TV season, here are 24 interesting facts about television from around the world.
A recent Samsung survey found that it isn't reality TV or soaps that make us most likely to tune in, but documentaries1, with 41 per cent claiming it is their favourite TV genre.
Based on the above, it is probably no surprise that Blue Planet II is currently the most watched show of 2017, peaking with 14.1 million viewers2.
In Australia, the iconic State of the Origin rugby match between Queensland and New South Wales drew in the most viewers of 2017 to date with 4.1 million people3.
Whilst in China, it's an internet-based rap reality show pulling in the viewers. The Rap of China showcase young and feisty contestants hoping for their big break into the world of hip-hop, with more than 2.5 billion views to date4
Back in the UK, Only Fools & Horses was voted the most popular sitcom of all time in Samsung's poll.
Strictly Come Dancing beat off some stiff competition when it came to the best reality or talent show.
When it comes to those in front of the camera, the USA is home to some of the best paid stars of television. According to Forbes, Dr Phil is currently the highest paid presenter in the world earning a reported $79 million (R1, 1 billion).
Sofia Vergara is reportedly the highest paid television actress at $41.5 million (R582.2 million).
And, Kim Kardashian's business empire means she is the highest paid reality star with a reported fortune of $51 million (R715.5 million).
Behind the camera, Netflix hit The Crown is the most expensive of all time, costing $130 million (R1.8 billion) to produce5.
In South Africa this year, MultiChoice added subscribers to its growing base, bringing the combined closing base (digital terrestrial television and satellite) to 11.9 million households6.
According to a MyBroadband survey of 1,587 IT professionals and tech-savvy individuals in South Africa, 73.85 per cent of respondents said they were an online pirate, while 51.17 per cent of respondents said they subscribed to a media streaming service7.
This survey also showed that Netflix was by far the most popular streaming service in the country, with 84.85 per cent of users signed up for a Netflix package.
Of those in this survey who did not subscribe to a streaming service, their primary reasons were: All my media needs are taken care of thanks to piracy - 42.27 per cent; I can't afford it - 38.08 per cent; and my internet connection at home is too slow - 37.53 per cent.
Of the respondents in this survey who did subscribe to a streaming service, 31.65 per cent said they also subscribed to DStv.
American TV show M*A*S*H takes the crown for the most-watched episode ever, with 103 million viewers tuning in for the final ever installment7.
Samsung's recent survey also shows we're watching more television than ever, with a fifth of us claiming to watch more TV now than we did five years ago thanks to on-demand technology and viewer's appetite for binge-watching.
Game of Thrones was voted in the survey as being the most-bingeable show of all8.
Game of Thrones also hit the top spot when it came to the most hotly anticipated TV show return
Size matters; Samsung research shows that 40 inches was the average TV screen size globally in 2016.
25 per cent of TVs sold in 2016 had a 50-inch screen.
90 per cent claim they would like a screen which is 60 inches big.
To date, Samsung has sold 427 million televisions around the world.
Which all makes for a lot of telly watching! Approximately eight years in our lifetime!9.
-- --
According to the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa10, the most-watched shows for April were:
Most-Watched TV Shows in SA in April 2018
Channel and Day Show Viewers
SABC 1
Mon 23 April Uzalo 9289705
Tue 17 April Generations: The Legacy 8927752
Tue 17 April Skeem Saam 7851561
SABC 2
Tue 03 April Muvhango 5536114
Wed 11 April 491 Days Book Launch 3031734
Wed 11 April 7de Laan Soap 2852458
SABC 3
Tue 10 April Isidingo: The Need 948254
Mon 02 April Sunfoil Test Series: South Africa vs Aust 884253
Mon 30 April Tropika Island of Treasure 783033
e.tv
Mon 16 April Scandal 5480679
Mon 16 April Rhythm City 4249611
Fri 06 April Just for Laughs Gags 3769236
DStv (Mzansi Magic)
Thur 19 April The Queen 1493373
Sun 22 April Our Perfect Wedding 1248130
Sun 29 April Abomama 1090747
Sources:
Samsung survey conducted amongst 2 000 adults in the UK by OnePoll, November 2017
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/blue-planet-2-most-watched-tv-show-david-attenborough-a8042171.html
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/state-of-origin-game-three-most-watched-show-of-2017-20170713-gxab63.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-china-blog-41236746
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-crown-netflix-most-expensive-show-ever-matt-smith-a7392911.html
https://techcentral.co.za/dstv-grows-subscribers-margins-squeezed/75222/
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/228037-how-many-south-african-netflix-subscribers-also-have-dstv.html
http://uk.businessinsider.com/most-watched-episodes-2016-9
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4186598/How-time-spend-activities-lifetime.html
http://www.brcsa.org.za/april-2018-top-tv-programs/
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
-- --
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
-- -- 
