LONDON, Sept 18 — The television is still the most popular screen in most homes yet, more and more, people are finding it hard to give it their full attention, no matter what’s on.

According to data from GfK, no matter what the source of the TV show — on demand, streamed, pay TV or normal broadcast television — roughly 70 per cent of viewers find themselves multitasking. Even during primetime.

The findings, published yesterday, arrive at the same time as a new Harris Poll survey about how US viewers feel about the upcoming slate of TV dramas this fall.

It shows that 83 per cent of Americans wish that there were more new or exciting ideas on TV. Even if the new idea is based around an existing character or is a spin-off from an existing show. When offered such a scenario 73 per cent admitted that the idea would be exciting enough for them to tune in.

As for what type or genre of show they’re most likely to seek out, situation comedy is the most popular format — 30 per cent ranked comedy as their favorite. Detective shows (28 per cent) run a close second, while the news (24 per cent) completes the top three, and the top five is filled out by drama (22 per cent) and sci-fi and fantasy shows (18 per cent).

A huge percentage of this season’s US TV schedule is made up of returning shows or reboots of old ideas and this sense of what Harris Poll refers to as televisual of déjà vu may go some way to explaining why multi-tasking and second screens are becoming so prevalent. But as the GfK data highlights, even when the content is curated and the consumer has made a conscious decision to watch a show, distracted viewing is the new normal.

During the three nightly primetime television hours, 69 per cent of linear TV, 70 per cent of DVR recording and 71 per cent of streaming TV viewers are not giving the shows they’re watching their full attention and instead are chatting, surfing the web, engaging in social media or eating.

“Although multitasking while using a TV set has been common for many years, the digital ‘second screen’ is now a way of life for many consumers,” said David Tice, Senior Vice President of GfK’s Media & Entertainment team.

Still there is some good news for program makers. Planned viewing—i.e., choosing a show in advance and making time to watch it—has never been more popular: 55 per cent of consumers say that they do it, compared with 44 per cent back in 2004.

What’s more, only 28 per cent of viewers now switch channels while they’re engaged in ‘planned’ viewing.

The figure stood at 47 per cent in 2004. — AFP-Relaxnews