With the rise of technology, TV viewing habits have changed dramatically, but our love for traditional TV is still strong, according to a new study. And the UAE turn out to be home of the world’s biggest TV fans – 86% of the people watch television every single day.
Since its first launch for public use almost a century ago, television has evolved and progressed to become the main medium for molding public opinion, as well as the main and most common home entertainment for families. But with the rise of Internet, online streaming and mobile devices, TV isn’t enough to “satisfy our appetite for content” any longer, say global research consultancy TNS Global. In its “Connected Life” study of more than 55,000 internet users worldwide, the researchers discovered nearly half (48%) of TV viewers check their social media accounts and emails while watching TV. They called this “screen-stacking”, which means the simultaneous use of multiple digital devices.
And by “multiple” devices, the researchers mean a lot – on average, we own four digital devices each and in countries such as Australia, Germany and the UK, people have approximately 5 devices. This, along with the improving online streaming services, allows us to watch TV online, which is also more convenient as you can access your favourite show at any time of the day or night. 25% of the people worldwide watch content on PCs, laptops, tablets or smartphones every day. Online TV is particularly popular in Russia, where 44% of the people prefer it to traditional TV. It’s also a favourite option in China, Singapore, Italy and Hong Kong.
Our phones, tablets and laptops may be essential to our existence (aren’t they?), but television isn’t going away any time soon. Still, three quarters of Internet users watch TV, and the most frequent viewers are the people in UAE. According to the findings, a staggering 86% of respondents watch TV every day, compared to a global average of 75%. In fact, there aren’t huge differences in the rates showed for different countries. Spain follows the UAE with 84%, while Italy is third with 82%. 80% of the people in the UK also admit to be hooked on their TV sets, along with 79% of Australians and 78% of Germans and Indians.
Looking at such statistics, the fact that UAE citizens are among the fattest nations in the world isn’t very surprising. The country also has extremely high rates of diabetes and hypertension, all caused by bad diet and sedentary lifestyle. Of course, the comfort and high quality of life are major contributors, as well, and according to doctors, it’s only going to get worse. And TV isn’t helping at all – if you are spending the entire day in front of the screen with all your favourite shows, you won’t have time for fitness. In fact, the biggest problem with couch potatoes is that they don’t want to move – sitting comfortably on the couch is just too good.
