back to article Mobes, fondleslabs, web sending Brit families back to THE FIFTIES - Ofcom

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom's latest research shows living-room TV watching is on the rise: picture families gathering round in front of the goggle box even if half their eyes are elsewhere. The living room is regaining its dominant position as the nerve-centre of TV viewing for families - as fondleable tablets and phones …

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  1. Ketlan
    Meh

    Credenza?

    Here in Blighty, we used to call these sideboards or, if mum was trying to be posh, glass or china cabinets. Credenza is, I believe, wholly American. Correct me if I'm wrong though - I can take it. :-)

    1. wowfood

      Re: Credenza?

      Is a credenza anything like a Moss-covered, three-handled family gredunza?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Credenza?

        Not to be confused with the humble gesunder*, which was phased out with the arrival of water closets.

        *gesunder the bed.

    2. Admiral Grace Hopper

      Re: Credenza?

      Indeed it is an American word for sideboard. As a child I thought that it sounded impossibly exotic, but then as a child I thought that a "molester" was someone who kept moles as pets so what did I know?

  2. Yag
    Trollface

    "modern TV programmes reiterate the plot"

    Plot? What plot?

    1. Ragarath

      Re: "modern TV programmes reiterate the plot"

      Exactly, no need to watch too much. It is all re-explained that the good win and the bad loose at least 3 times a minute.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Or maybe the economy is so crappy.....

    That all families can afford is to sit around in the front room watching TV?

  4. JimmyPage Silver badge
    Joke

    Reminds me of the old Alexie Sayle line

    There's an 50s revival going on now ... whole familes trying to live on 8 quid a week.

  5. Goldmember

    My missus...

    ... does exactly that; plays Candy Crush/ other Andriod or Facebook game while the TV is on. It's fine for most of the crap as I'm not watching it, but when there's something half decent on (like the recent Hannibal we've been watching on catch up), she asks 'what just happened?' every 5 minutes. Fun for me, as you can imagine.

    This part:

    "77 per cent of those who've shelled out for intelligence managed to get their sets plugged into the internet."

    So 23% of smart TV owners have shelled out the extra premium for Smart TV, but have never connected it to the net? What's the point, exactly? You can still buy decent HD TVs without the extras.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: nevver connected smart tv - What's the point, exactly?

      ... most likely, they'll be going to "get around to sorting it when they have a bit of spare time ..." :-)

    2. itzman

      Re: have never connected it to the net

      One of the things a smart telly nets you, is the ability to plug in a USB wifi or ethernet server carrying loads of MPEGS and have a video library., That is most of what you want is down to it being networked, rather than being internetworked.

      (A certain aquaintance of mine rents videos, rips them and puts them on a big server...)

      In fact the one I got is SO impossible to use with its remote to surf the net, I have simply given up.

      TBH its reserved for HD only since both our PCS have DTB dongles plugged in,and we listen/watch telly in a corner if the screen whilst doing other things..

      (written with the DTB dongle providing a perfect 'test match special' feed over the putaspikas.)

  6. Neil Barnes Silver badge

    90% watch in real time

    I'm pleased to see a hard number - I've maintained for a long time that this is so.

    It's simple, really - there are so many things more worth doing than watching the idiot box that actually selecting something to watch on demand is too much like hard work for most people. If there's something worth it on the box, watch it. If not, don't bother...

    1. itzman
      Facepalm

      Re: 90% watch in real time

      If there's something worth it on the box, watch it. If not, don't bother...because it will be on tommorow, next week, next month, and every year on drama, yesterday, dave, channel X+Y or whatever.

      The number of channels now comfortably exceeds the content worth watching.

    2. Steve 13
      Thumb Down

      Re: 90% watch in real time

      But what if there's something worth watching, and I want to do something else right now...

      AND I suspect that tomorrow when I have no plans, there may be nothing worth watching (as is often the case).

      Maybe it's that 90% of people don't care if it's worth watching (hence playing angry birds instead of actually watching) or they are incapable of planning ahead...

      Re: the multi tasking though - my OH will sit and play some game whilst we are supposedly watching a new episode from a series that we both like, but which she has just chosen to put on. Personally, if I want to watch it then I will actually watch, and if I don't then I'll go and do something else.

  7. Captain DaFt

    Hardly surprising

    The TV long ago, for most families, became a comforting background noise for whatever activities they're actually engaged in.

    Practically everyone I visit has their TV on, but no one's paying it any attention, except the kiddies if it's a cartoon.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who do we complain to about Ofcom

    "Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2013 reveals that people are still coming together to watch TV in the living room - 91% of UK adults view TV on the main set each week, up from 88% in 2002. "

    Extrapolating 4000 person sample size to represent 63,181,775.

    1. Dropper

      Re: Who do we complain to about Ofcom

      " Extrapolating 4000 person sample size to represent 63,181,775."

      I appreciate your skepticism, however it's quite a remarkable improvement on using the opinions of the first 10 people out of a voting both to predict what the other 63,181,765 will decide..

      1. Rukario

        Re: Who do we complain to about Ofcom

        > using the opinions of the first 10 people out of a voting both to predict what the other 63,181,765 will decide

        Isn't this how the US "system" works, where elections are called by the networks based on exit polls?

  9. Youngone Silver badge

    Cardigans

    I have become quite used to seeing otherwise well dressed young men wearing what looks like their Grandfather's cardigan around the place. I know they think they're being "ironic", but really in a few years time they'll look at all those Facebook pictures and be very embarrassed.

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