Nothing on TV? It doesn't matter because we're all probably online

More than half of British households now spend more time on the internet than watching television, a survey has found.
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It is the first time that TV has been overtaken as the nation’s primary source of entertainment, researchers for the business services firm Ernst and Young, said.

Their poll of 2,500 consumers found that 56 per cent were more likely to be looking at a computer screen or watching online video than viewing conventional television. The figure last year was 49 per cent.

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The research also indicated that nearly half of households claimed some knowledge of “smart” home products, a sign that the latest technology is moving into the consumer mainstream.

But despite an increasing reliance on the internet for work and entertainment at home, many said they were suffering from “digital fatigue”, with more than four consumers in ten actively seeking time away from their phones and other online devices. The figure was most pronounced among 25 to 34 year-olds.

There was also evidence that consumers were becoming less excited about new gadgets, with fewer than a third saying they were likely to buy “before everybody else”.

Praveen Shankar of Ernst and Young, said: “Households are enjoying unprecedented levels of connectivity, transforming their social and home lives as well as their viewing and working habits This is driving major changes in what they consume and how they do so.”

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Meanwhile, those still watching TV will be able to take advantage of a crowdfunded channel that is said to be a world first.

Together, funded by more than 200 individual shareholders and donors including Sky and the Big Lottery Fund, says it will showcase the “best of British people and communities” through a mix of original content and classics.

Chairman Caroline Diehl said the channel “has the power to really change lives and local communities”.

She added: “Together is the perfect platform for local voluntary groups and community organisations, as it puts them right in front of an audience already committed to do good and to do more.”

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