UK online TV growth tailing off

Growth in UK online viewing is slowing down, according to audience research group BARB’s latest tracker report.

In its latest twice-yearly report on non-core viewing for November 2011, BARB said that 14.9% of respondents claimed to have watched TV via a PC, laptop or tablet in the previous seven days, compared to 14.4% a year previously. The comparable figure for June 2011 was 14.8%.

Some 25% of respondents said they had watched online TV in the past month, up from 24.8% in June and 23.6% a year earlier, while 36.2% claimed to have ever watched TV via the internet, up from 34.3% in June and 34.4% in November 2011.

BARB said that the slowdown in growth could be due to increased DVR penetration and the availability of catch-up services on connected TVs.

Some 7% of respondents to the survey claimed to have ever watched TV via their mobile phones, up from 5% a year earlier. For 15-34 year-olds, this figure rose to 14%, compared with 8.9% a year earlier.