Sports mad Brits to add over £9 million to energy bills watching summer TV marathon
New research from Uswitch.com reveals the nation will add more than £9 million to energy bills this summer by watching their favourite sports on TV
The average Brit will spend the equivalent of a working week (35 hours) watching sport on TV over the summer
Nearly one in ten (9%) avid sports fans have bought, or plan to buy, a new TV this summer
Over one in ten (13%) Brits admit they would pull a sickie, cancel a date or miss a friend’s birthday so as not to miss a big sports event
With 70% of consumers on the most expensive energy deals, sports fans could collectively save almost £2 million if they switched to the cheapest tariff.
UK sports fans are set to add over £9 million to their energy bills this summer by watching sport on TV, according to new figures from Uswitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service.
As the nation prepares for one of the biggest weekends in sporting history, including the Euro 2016 and Wimbledon finals, the survey also reveals the average Brit will spend almost an entire working week (35 hours) glued to their screens.
According to the new figures, seven in ten (71%) are set to watch at least one major event on TV this summer. The most popular events are the ongoing Euro 2016 tournament (42% of people), the forthcoming games in Rio (42%), Wimbledon (38%), Formula 1 (22%), the Paralympics (17%), the Tour de France (12%) and the French Open (10%).
The nation’s love of sport is so great that over one in ten (13%) – the equivalent of over 6.5 million people – admit they would either pull a sickie, cancel a date or miss a friend or family member’s birthday so as not to miss a big match. In addition, 8% say they would watch every single minute of the sporting events on TV throughout the summer if they could.
Sports fans are also prepared to splash out to get the best view from the sofa. Over one in ten (11%) agree that the size of their TV influences their enjoyment of sport, and nearly one in ten admit they have bought or are planning to buy a new TV for the occasion. While half of those surveyed currently own a medium-sized TV (33-45 inches), 45% said that if money was no object, they’d opt for a large TV (46 inches or more) – which could lead to even greater energy consumption in the future. But, with 70% of consumers on expensive energy tariffs, sports fans could collectively save almost £2 million from their bills, simply by switching to better energy deals.
Tom Lyon, Uswitch.com energy expert, says: “With Wales having made waves at Euro 2016 and Andy Murray still flying the flag at Wimbledon, the summer has already proved a memorable one for sports fans. And there’s lots more to come, from this weekend’s British Grand Prix to Team GB’s efforts to bring home the gold from Rio. Hours sat in front of the TV is many a sport fan’s dream, but it will add to already high energy bills. Switching energy provider could save Brits over £400 a year, more than covering the extra cost of watching sports this summer.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jason Wakeford
Phone: 0203 872 5612
Email: jason.wakeford@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research was conducted online by Opinium between 28th June and 1st July 2016, among 2,000 nationally representative UK adults (aged 18+). There are 51.339 million UK adults in the UK and 27 million households. For the purpose of this calculation each respondent is assumed to be from a separate household (source: ONS).
Energy calculation based on the size of respondents’ main television and the amount of hours of sport they plan to watch this summer. Energy consumption figures are averages of a leading manufacturer’s televisions in either small (up to 32 inches), medium-size (33-45 inches) and large (46 inches and over). Total cost of watching sport calculated as £9.14 million.
When asked how many hours they will spend watching sport, the average response was 9.8 hours for Euro 2016, 12.4 hours for the Rio games, 3.2 hours for the Paralympics, 5 hours for Wimbledon, 1.2 hours for the French Open, 1.8 hours for Formula 1 and 1.7 hours for the Tour de France. Therefore, the average individual will watch a total of 35.04 hours. 29% of respondents said they will not watch any sport on TV this summer.
When asked if they have bought or are planning to buy a new TV to watch this summer’s sporting events, 5% said they had already bought one and 4% said they are planning to buy one.
13% of respondents (the equivalent of 6.47 million people) agreed with at least one of the phrases: ‘I would cancel a date to watch a big event’, ‘I would miss a friend or family member’s birthday to watch a big event’, or ‘I would pull a sickie to allow me to watch an important sporting event’. 8% (the equivalent of 4.36 million people) agreed with the phrase ‘If I could watch every single minute of this summer’s sport on TV I would’.
70% of all consumers are on the average big six deal, and the difference between best deal and average big six deal is 30%. Therefore 70% of households owning each size of TV could save 30% on their energy spend. Total potential saving calculated as £1.92 million.
When asked what sports events they are planning to watch over the summer, 42% said Euro 2016, 42% said the Rio games, 38% said Wimbledon, 22% said Formula 1, 17% said Paralympics, 12% said Tour de France and 10% said the French Open.
When asked what size their main TV is, 16% said small (up to 32 inches), 50% said medium (33-45 inches), 27% said large (46 inches or more), 3% said they don’t know and 3% said they don’t own a TV. When asked what size TV they would buy next if money was no object, 7% said small, 33% said medium and 45% said large.
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