Irish paid TV customers have an average of 155 channels, but 65 per cent watch less than a quarter of what they pay for.
This is according to new research from price comparison and switching service, Switcher.ie
The findings suggest that households could be shelling out for services that they are barely using. The standard (non-discounted ) cost of TV packages ranges from more than €350 to €1,000 a year. However, just 2 per cent of customers say they watch more than three-quarters of the channels they pay for, while one in 10 watch between half and three-quarters.
Despite this, we are still a nation of avid TV watchers. The average Irish consumer watches 13 hours per week, while one in five settles in for a whopping 21 hours or more. This suggests that we are returning to the same channels again and again, indicating that the TV packages we are paying for might not be the right ones for our viewing habits.
Live TV is still prominent, with two in five of us watching the majority of our TV this way. Almost a quarter (21 per cent ) mainly watch free-to-air TV. At the same time, habits are changing, with one in five saying the majority of TV they watch is recorded onto a set-top box.
Other more recent innovations are also gaining ground, with one in 10 now watching the majority of their TV content via paid streaming services like Netflix. Some 5 per cent say they mostly watch free streaming services, like the RTÉ or TV3 players.
The findings show that Irish consumers today relish the opportunity of watching TV where and when they want, with the majority of people using multi-room viewing (65 per cent ), and pause, rewind, record functionality (58 per cent ) on a daily basis. One in four say they watch free box sets with their TV package every day, while one in five watch catch-up TV daily.
Reviewing your TV options only takes a few minutes using an independent and impartial price comparison and switching service like Switcher.ie
Visit www.switcher.ie to see what options are available and potentially save yourself hundreds of euro.
