More than 27 million homes in the UK have a television and 20 million homes subscribe to some form of streaming service – but just how long are we spending in front of the TV every day? We analysed all the latest TV statistics to see how glued we are to our screens and how many people are using their bank accounts to pay for a TV licence.
TV statistics: Highlights
27.4 million households had a TV in 2023, almost 97% of households in the UK.
On average, Brits watch 4 hours of TV and streaming content a day, which is about 28 hours each week.
This includes 17 and a half hours of broadcast TV each week (2 and a half hours a day).
As of March 2024, 23.9 million TV licenses were in issue.
As of December 2024, 20 million households (68.3%) have a subscription service such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or Now.
BBC channels are the most popular in the UK, with 51.2 million viewers reached in January 2025.
An average of 56.8 million Brits have tuned into broadcast TV every month in the year to January 2025.
How many households have a TV?
27.4 million households in the UK had a TV in 2023, which is almost 97% of households in the UK. This is up slightly (0.4%) from 2022, when 27.3 million households had a TV. The number of households with a TV has been increasing year-on-year, suggesting that, despite the popularity of smartphones and tablets, people still like viewing on a television screen.
On average, 56.8 million viewers tuned into broadcast TV each month in the past year, which is around 89% of all people with access to a TV or broadband. This is down slighlty from 2023, when an average of 58 million people (91%) tuned in every month.
The way we watch television has changed, however, and 20 million households (68.3%) have access to a streaming subscription service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime as of December 2024. This is up from the same period in 2023, when 19.5 million households were subscribed to a video-on-demand service.
How much TV does the average Brit watch?
Taking into account all formats, the average Brit spends 4 hours a day, or 28 hours and 6 minutes a week, watching TV and video content. This includes 2 hours and 29 minutes a day of broadcast television, or 17 hours and 29 minutes a week.
Viewing habits vary slightly from month to month, with peak viewing times around Christmas and the winter months and lower viewing times in summer when the weather is better.
The BBC has the most popular channels in the UK, with 51.2 million viewers in January 2025. ITV comes in second place, with 45.8 million viewers in total but is closely followed by Channel 4, with 41.1 million viewers.
Channel 5 had a total of 38.7 million viewers in January 2025 while Sky channels had a total of 34.8 million viewers.
As of March 2024, 23.9 million TV licences are in issue in the UK. Each license is priced at £169.50, apart from cases where these are funded or at a reduced fee. In the year to March 2024, around £4 billion was generated by the TV licence fee.
Sophie Barber is a content marketing manager for Finder in the UK. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative articles that help consumers make informed decisions. See full bio
Sophie's expertise
Sophie has written 92 Finder guides across topics including:
6.4% of UK adults plan to follow a vegan diet in 2025, an estimated 3.4 million people, and 11.5% of Brits plan to follow a vegetarian diet.
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