With the rise of ‘event TV’ like X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and sporting events, more and more Brits are using social networks and instant messaging to chat to friends as the events unfold.
Research from Intel has found that almost half of (45%) Brits have admitted to using sites like Twitter, Facebook and MSN messenger to discuss a TV programme whilst it’s on air.
Surprisingly, it’s the girls who are leading this social change with more than half (51%) of them using the online chat offerings whilst watching TV when compared to only 38% of men. With the ease of staying in touch online, a fifth (21%) of Brits would actually cancel a social engagement if it meant missing their favourite programme.
Fuelling this technological revolution is the increasing amount of hardware people have access to. Other devices used while watching TV include a laptop (57%), a desktop computer (23%) and an internet enabled smart phone (19%).
In fact, two thirds (63%) would like for their TV to access the internet so that they can find more information on the shows they’re watching, shop online and use social networking sites.
The year’s biggest TV events have seen conversation go online world-wide. While X Factor attracted over 11 Tweets per second (11.49), last year’s Strictly Come Dancing drove almost 7 Tweets per second (6.67) and even the more serious UK election debates drove over 29 (29.06) tweets per second.
Commenting on the research, David McKeown, Sales & Marketing at Intel UK & Ireland, said: “It seems we are becoming a nation of armchair pundits, sitting watching TV with laptops at the ready so we can share our own commentary and opinions with friends and family whilst watching popular TV through social networks like Twitter and Facebook. The rise of event TV is really fuelling this trend, especially for women who are talking about shows like X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing.”