Tiscali Press Release - On Demand Entertainment Awards

Young women 16-24 seriously addicted to TV

NEW research released today by Tiscali TV has highlighted the scale of Britons' TV addiction, and the extent to which we plan our lives around favourite shows - putting-off sex and lying about 'prior engagements' in order to prioritise TV and some even planning holidays around TV schedules.

Over half (55%) of woman surveyed, aged 16-24, admitted watching their favourite TV episode at least 5 times

With 20% admitted to suffering Remote Rage when not in control of the remote whilst watching TV and 12% saying they have actually panicked when they could not find it.

Almost one in five (17%) people surveyed admitted to rushing or putting off sex to watch their favourite show. Some even valued their relationship with TV over that of partners and friends with 23% of 16-24 year old females having lied about having social plans in order to watch their favourite TV show. In addition, 12% of Britons even said they got a greater sense of enjoyment from their favourite TV show than spending time with their friends and family. This was most common with men aged 16-24.

The independent study of 1,058 Britons, commissioned by digital TV and on demand service Tiscali TV, found that TV addiction was linked to the role TV plays in their lives, offering life guidance, escapism, companionship and social bonding opportunities.

Surprisingly over half surveyed (56%) said that TV is more important to their daily life than religion and amazingly this view was most common with those 45+. People in the South West of England felt this most strongly (62%).

One in ten Britons admit to worrying more about missing their favourite show than committing sins. This was most common amongst those aged 16 - 24 (18%).

One in ten (11%) Britons have a TV "watching ritual" around their favourite show, with more extreme cases saying they have a set one-hour preparation routine to get ready for their favourite show. Of all Britons, Londoners were most likely to have a watching ritual (19%).

26% (one in four) of Britons believe that people's daily behaviour is affected by the TV shows and films that they watch and 14% admitted to taking life and moral guidance directly from TV shows e.g. Trisha. Women were most likely to take guidance from TV shows (15%) compared to men (11%), with Londoners again proving most TV-led (18%).

Escapism from daily life and problems was cited as a major source of TV's power in the study. 47% of Britons state they watch TV purely to escape from everyday life and rest their mind. This was especially common amongst women (50%) compared to men (39%).

Simon Hunt, Director of Television at Tiscali says: "Despite the growth of other forms of entertainment, TV still has a massive impact on British lives. This study highlights how 'TV addiction' is more widespread than we might have thought, and how loyal fans will let very little stand in the way of seeing their favourite show".