10% of UK TV viewing now time shifted

10% of UK TV viewing now time shifted
TV - playing by your rules

New figures suggest that more people in the UK than ever before are shunning scheduled TV viewing in favour of time-shifting.

Latest viewing figures from BARB (the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board) suggest that 10 per cent of all TV viewing during the week ending 25 September 2011 was done on a time shift – whether this was playback through PVRs, DVD-recorders or VCRs or via catch-up services available through the TV.

It's not as if consumers are waiting days to watch their favourite programmes on catch-up, however, as BARB has revealed that 48 per cent of those time shifting watch the TV show on the same day it was scheduled to go out, just at a different time.

Soap dodgers

What's even more impressive is that 20 per cent of all drama shows watched during the week in question were on catch-up, while 16 per cent of soaps were watched on a time shift.

If you just look at those who are using PVRs, it seems that 32 per cent of all dramas were watched at a time that was not the same as the show's scheduled time slot.

BARB has been measuring web on-demand services for TV since June, so expect more information about the UK's changing television habits in the coming months.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.