Televisions transmogrifying into ‘digital hubs’ courtesy of smartphone growth, say Ofcom
Televisions are enjoying a second flush of popularity following a period of waning influence over the past decade, according to a new Ofcom study.
This found that living rooms are increasingly being transformed into ‘digital hubs’ with more than half of all adults now browsing, shopping and tweeting whilst watching programming.
These behavioural changes have been brought about by increased adoption of gadgets such as smartphones and tablets which make it easier for family members to multi task.
Overall Ofcom found that a quarter of households now own a tablet device with just over half having a smartphone in their pocket whilst most households contain an average of three internet ready devices.
The survey found that third of adults regularly use such gizmos to browse the web whilst watching TV while 24 per cent also post emails or other information online. A total of 16 per cent went shopping online and six per cent even managed to watch a different programme to that shown on their main screen.
James Thickett, director of research at Ofcom, said: “Increasingly, families are gathering in the living room to watch television just as they were in the 1950s. But unlike the 1950s family, they are also doing their own thing,
“They are tweeting about a television show, surfing the net or watching different content altogether on a tablet. Just a few years ago, we would be talking about last night’s television at work or at school. Now, we’re having those conversations live while watching television, using social media, text and instant messaging."