New independent research, on behalf of Sky, suggests that almost every UK household could have internet-delivered television by the mid-2030s.
According to the survey of 1000 UK TV viewers by Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates, traditional terrestrial distribution could be “retired” in just a few years time, due to the high usage of internet-based television services already:
- 94% of UK adults have internet at home
- 92% use a video on demand service.
It also found that audiences of all ages were “enthusiastic about connected TV” with 93% finding its features useful, rising to 99% among those aged 70+.
The paper showed that people would prefer the Government to focus on digital inclusion – skills and affordability – than maintaining a legacy broadcast system.
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Sky isn’t available through terrestrial distribution and the publication comes as DCMS and Ofcom consider options for the future of TV and removing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) during the 2030s.
“This research shows that modern TV and social inclusion can go hand in hand. A full move to internet-delivered TV in the 2030s is achievable – and it can help close the digital divide rather than deepen it,” said Nick Herm, Group Chief Operating Officer at Sky.
“With most people already streaming, an investment from the Government in skills and affordable connectivity for the relatively small number of households who still need help to get online will have benefits far beyond TV, while saving hundreds of millions on maintaining legacy systems.”
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- 93% of connected TV users value features such as pause, rewind and watch from the beginning;
- Among over-70s this rises to 99%, and they are often more likely than younger viewers to rate features as “very useful”;
The paper, entitled Stream On: The Future of UK TV shows that in 2023, there were 3.9m households not using internet-delivered TV.
Without action, DCMS modelling suggests 1.8m could remain unconnected in 2035.
Based on the digital switchover from 2012, the O&O modelling suggests that if there was a clear announcement in 2027, supported by a PR and marketing campaign, this could reduce to around 330k households by 2034.
These remaining households are more likely to be older, lower-income or disabled – groups who already experience digital exclusion across public services, work, healthcare and banking. The report argues that helping them to connect should be seen as part of the UK’s wider digital inclusion agenda, “not a TV-specific fix.”
O&O used a mixture of methods to the conduct research for these independent findings, including data analysis, a national consumer survey, consumer workshops and expert interviews.
