Ofcom: connected TV sales far outstrip 3D TVs in UK

Almost ten times as many connected TVs were sold in the UK last year compared to 3D TVs.

According to regulator Ofcom’s Communications Market Report, there were close to one million internet-enabled TV sales during 2010, compared to 125,000 sales of 3D TVs. The survey also found that over half of UK households have a games console, with one fifth of these using them to view videos or TV content. People are also increasingly using the internet to watch TV, with 27% of adults saying they watched catch-up TV services online during the first three months of 2011, 4% more that in 2010 and 12% more than two years earlier. Use of DVRs declined slightly in 2010, with time-shifted viewing accounting for 14% of all viewer hours in DVR homes, a decrease of 1% from 2009.
The survey also found that the UK TV industry collectively generated revenue of £11.7 billion (€2 million) in 2010, a 5.7% increase on 2009, driven by both a recovery in advertising revenue, which increased by 11.2% per cent, as well as continued increases in subscription revenues, which were up by 5.3%.

Despite the growth in popularity of the internet and the various devices that can access media and communications, the survey found that the TV would be the UK’s “most missed” media outlet. TV viewing increased between 2000 and 2010, with viewers currently watching an average of just over four hours a day, up by 18 minutes over 10 years.