The traditional TV dinner is being replaced by the PC dinner, as UK households across Britain watch TV online when eating, with Come Dine with Me proving to be the most popular choice of show, according to new data.
Research released today by SeeSaw.com, the online TV service, has revealed some remarkable new insights, which demonstrate the social impact of the increasing use of the internet in digital Britain today.
The research, which saw 2,000 respondents polled, found that over 60 per cent of Brits have enjoyed their evening meal in front of a computer.
A fifth of all those polled (21 per cent) confess to eating dinner in front of the computer on a regular basis and a third of all Brits (32 per cent) declared that they are more likely to eat their dinner in front of the computer than they were 12 months ago, with the Welsh topping the list at 36 per cent.
SeeSaw.com, who offers thousands of hours of free programming online, has named this phenomenon of eating the evening meal in front of the computer, the “PC dinner.”
Remarkably, the PC dinner has replaced the “TV dinner” for many Brits, with nearly 1 in 5 of those polled (19 per cent) claiming they are more likely to consume their dinner in front of the computer than the TV.
However, many of those polled are using the computer to enjoy TV programmes with their dinner.
Nearly a quarter of those who enjoy a PC dinner (24 per cent) choose to watch TV programmes on the web as they eat, whilst slightly more respondents (26 per cent) catch up on social media sites.
According to all those polled, the programme most likely to be viewed online when eating dinner was Come Dine with Me (14 per cent). The top three PC dinner programmes – according to all respondents and split by gender – are below:
Female respondents
1. EastEnders
2. Come Dine with Me
3. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
Male respondents
1. Top Gear
2. The Inbetweeners
3. Being Human
All respondents
1. Come Dine with Me
2. EastEnders
3. Top Gear
The research identifies a similar trend unfolding across Britain over lunchtime.
More than 6 out of 10 (63 per cent) respondents confessed to enjoying a “laptop lunch” – eating their lunch in front of the computer – with a quarter of all respondents (25 per cent) admitting that they enjoy lunch in front of the computer on a regular basis.
The research reveals further fascinating insights into digital Britain. For nearly a quarter of all respondents surveyed (23 per cent), the PC has now replaced the TV as the main source of evening entertainment.
And Brits are going online wherever they want in the home – nearly a third of Brits (31 per cent) confess to using the internet whilst on the toilet, with the Scots way out in front with nearly 37 per cent.
According to the research, approximately two thirds of us (67 per cent) surf the web in bed and nearly 15 per cent use the internet whilst in the bath.
The average time spent online in the evening for adults across the UK was just under 2 hours.
The appeal of the internet is clearly having an impact on the behaviour of couples. The research reveals:
o Over a fifth of couples (21 per cent) confess to spending more time surfing the net at home than spending quality time together
o Over a quarter of couples (26 per cent) regularly spend the evening separately surfing the web on their computer devices.
o For just over one in ten couples (11 per cent), romance is clearly not top of the agenda as they would prefer to check their emails last thing at night than kissing their partner goodnight
o For a little under 10 per cent of couples, the argument is now over control of the computer rather than the TV remote.
John Keeling, Platform Controller for SeeSaw, commented: “This incredible research shows how millions of British people cannot tear themselves away from the internet, even for dinner.
“The growth of the PC Dinner is a remarkable new trend and for many across the nation, has now replaced the traditional TV dinner. The relentless growth of technology means that Brits now enjoy many of their programmes online and who better to eat your evening meal with than Jeremy Clarkson or the cast of EastEnders?”
The survey was conducted for SeeSaw.com, the online TV service. SeeSaw offers over 5,000 hours of high quality programming from a range of content providers, and around two-thirds of the content is free to watch.
Source: www.seesaw.com