Families are no longer watching the TV together

THE days of families gathering around the television set appear to be numbered.

Only three in ten viewers now watch with their loved ones, a report revealed yesterday.

The shift in habits is attributed to the BBC’s iPlayer service and streaming companies such as Netflix.

Box sets have also encouraged viewers to watch alone.

Ofcom, which compiled the report, warned of ‘Box set Britain’, a nation of binge viewers.

Lindsey Fussell, the watchdog’s consumer group director, said catch-up services had reached a ‘tipping point’ in changing behaviour.

‘Technology has revolutionised the way we watch TV,’ she added.

‘The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.’

Netflix and other services are deliberately marketing and releasing their shows in a way that actively encourages binge viewing, she added.

Eight in ten viewers admit they have watched several episodes of the same programme in one sitting – with a third doing so regularly. More than half of these routinely watch on their own.

According to the Ofcom research, just over half of viewers like to watch TV shows in the bedroom, whether on a traditional set, a laptop or a smartphone. One in ten watch even when in the bathroom.

Those that do stay in the same room do not necessarily watch shows together – instead using individual laptops and iPads.

A third of adults confess to missing sleep because they stayed up too late binge-watching a series.

One in five teenagers admit neglecting school work because they could not tear themselves away from catch-up services. One in seven said they had missed out on time with their family and friends. In some cases, they did not even want to watch so much television – but felt under pressure to do so to keep up with friends.

A quarter of adults said they binge-watched box sets in order to be able to talk about them. Another quarter said they gorged on their favourite series to ensure they found out what happened before someone else told them. According to Ofcom’s report, six out of ten over-65s wish that TV series were still released in the traditional way. Their view is shared by just over a third of youngsters aged 12 to 15.

The BBC iPlayer is the most popular catch-up service, with nearly two thirds of viewers who watch streaming services plugging in. ITV is close behind – followed by YouTube and Netflix. k.rushton@dailymail.co.uk