Eight in ten people (78%) multitask when 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 the UK’s viewing habits, andhas proved that we cannot sit still. Eight in ten people are distracted by other forms of entertainment andeveryday tasks such as responding to emails, reading, internet shopping and online dating – with most people in Northern Ireland being distracted by responding to personal emails (38%) or browsing shopping sites (33%).

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. Over half of those researched (55%) 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 (41% in Northern Ireland) 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.

Proving that the older generations are becoming more comfortable with technology, nearly a third (30%) of over 65s record programming to watch at a later date, which is only 6% fewer 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 Infinityᵻwhich includes popular pay TV channels like Comedy Central, Discovery and Gold and access to Curzon Home Cinema and BT Box Office, with manyfilms 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!’