ERICSSON HAS PUBLISHED a report into the evolving habits of television watchers and it has provided us with some interesting facts.

The global survey asked people about how they watch telly during this “new era” in television. What with the rise of social media, on-demand broadcasts and DVR (recorded TV), technologies have changed the fundamental ways in which we approach entertainment, according to Ericsson.

Did you know?

• that 62 per cent of people now use social media while watching TV. That is 18 per cent more than this time last year with women more likely than men to use Twitter, Facebook etc;
• that despite the global recession, only seven per cent of people have cancelled their television packages since 2011.
• that more than 40 per cent of consumers are willing to pay for HD quality.
• Seven in ten people use tablets, smartphones or laptops in their everyday TV viewing – either for watching videos or for using Twitter and Facebook.
• And yes, while we’re starting to use our phones to watch content, we’re still not willing to pay for it.
• Although we love recording programmes with Sky Plus and UPC On-Demand services, broadcast TV is still the dominant form of consumption.

Why do people use social media while watching television?

• They don’t want to watch alone
• To gain a community feeling
• To validate one’s thoughts against a public sample
• To seek additional information
• To influence content
• Gratification of being acknowledged by others
• A need for further analysis

Download the full analysis here>