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The number of UK households that have a TV set has fallen for the first time ever.
The new figures from Ofcom reveal that TV-toting homes totalled 26.33m at the end of 2012, but just 26.02m by the end of the 2013.
This data reveals a growing trend of viewers turning to ‘alternative devices’ in lieu of ye olde tube, namely laptops, PCs, and tablets.
Ofcom says there are now around one million homes in the UK that have access to broadband, but don’t have a TV set.
The communications regulator made particular note of ‘catch-up content’ and its growing importance.
It cites BBC figures that revealed 47 per cent of requests for iPlayer content were made from tablets or mobiles, an upwards leap from 2012’s 25 per cent.
Ed Richards, Chief Executive at Ofcom, said: “Digital infrastructure is crucial to the UK’s future. As a country we are continuing to make real progress, particularly in the roll out and take-up of superfast broadband and 4G mobile services.”
“But there is more to be done. We need to continue asking whether collectively we are doing enough to build the infrastructure of the future, and to maintain the competition that benefits consumers and businesses.”
The Ofcom report also shed light on the UK’s increasing data consumption, with the regulator reporting a 55 per cent increase in average mobile data usage, which now measures in at around 1.5GB every month.
What’s more, this figure is set to increase four times over by 2018 as 4G networks improve and uptake of mobile devices increases.
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