Television broadcasts still account for the bulk of the time spent in front of the TV screen. However, people are increasingly using their televisions to watch streaming services, online videos or play games, according to data provided by Atmedia.
86 per cent of Czech households owna television, which remains the main hub of home entertainment. Official television viewing figures published by Atmedia show that viewers aged 15 and over spend an average of 4 hours and 7 minutes a day in front of the television.
The largest proportion of this time is spent watching television channels. Linear broadcasting accounts for 85 per cent of the total time spent watching television, which corresponds to approximately three and a half hours a day. The remaining 15 per cent – an average of 37 minutes – is spent by viewers on other activities, such as watching online videos, using streaming services, listening to music and podcasts, or playing games.
The share of these activities has been growing steadily over the long term. Whilst in 2015 people spent an average of eight minutes a day on them, five years later this had risen to 21 minutes and now stands at 37 minutes. “Despite this trend, it still accounts for only 15 per cent of the total time people spend in front of the television screen. Television broadcasting therefore remains the primary use of the television,” said Michaela Suráková, managing director of Atmedia.
A more pronounced shift in how the television is used is particularly evident among younger viewers. In the 25 to 34 age group, activities other than watching television account for an average of 55 minutes a day, representing 40 per cent of the time spent in front of the screen. For viewers aged 35 to 44, these activities account for roughly a third of viewing time. By contrast, for the 55+ age group, they account for only eight per cent of time.
The expansion of other ways of using the television is also linked to the growing number of devices connected to the internet. Whilst 35 per cent of households had a TV connected to the internet in 2020, this figure had risen to 59 per cent last year. According to Atmedia, the television is thus gradually transforming into a multimedia device which, in addition to linear broadcasting, offers access to a range of applications and services.
At the same time, the data shows that the television screen remains the preferred device for watching longer video content. 79 per cent of Czechs watch series and programmes lasting up to one hour on their television, whilst for films and programmes longer than an hour, this figure rises to 86 per cent. Short videos, on the other hand, are most commonly watched on smartphones.
Source: mediaguru.cz
