Sky unveils The Attention Index

A recent publication by Sky, titled The Attention Index, highlights what captivates audiences in today’s dense information landscape. The report explores where people focus their attention, how they view content, and their methods of staying connected, spanning from large TV screens to mobile devices.

UK Entertainment Engagement

Outside of lockdown periods, TV viewing time in Sky households is at an all-time high. Sky customers typically watch over four and a half hours of TV daily, with one-third of that being Sky-produced content, including sports, news, entertainment, and movies.

Sky Original shows, like Mary & George, are more successful than ever. The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a Sky Original, has garnered 6.8 million viewing hours since its release in May, with each episode watched by at least 1.3 million people.

Flexible Viewing Preferences

The convenience of catching up on TV has lessened the necessity of watching various genres live, boosting on-demand content consumption. For instance, Season 4 of True Detective, launched on Sky in January 2024, has reached 10 million viewing hours, with 46 percent being on demand. This is a stark contrast to Season One from ten years ago, which had only 9 percent of its viewing via on demand.

Multitasking Viewers

UK viewers tend to multitask while watching TV, with 63 percent engaging in other activities simultaneously. Around 41 percent search for information about the show as they watch, leading to significant increases in Google traffic.

For example, searches for Mary and George Villiers spiked by 164 percent at launch compared to the previous month. In tandem with The Tattooist of Auschwitz airing on Sky, UK searches for Auschwitz rose by 107 percent, totaling over 230,000 searches in the launch month, the highest in 20 years.

Passion for Sports

Overall, Sky Sports viewership increased by 17 percent in 2023. In the past six months, sports enthusiasts watched 1 billion hours of Sky Sports content. The audience is broadening, with female viewership up 18 percent and under-35 viewership up 26 percent in 2023.

Popular Sports

Football remains central to UK sports culture, with 313 million hours of live football watched on Sky from January to June. Viewership across various football leagues rose by 9 percent in the 23/24 season. Football is also a major driver of traffic for Sky Mobile.

Darts is growing its audience, with the PDC World Darts Championship final experiencing a 204 percent increase in viewership, averaging 3.1 million viewers for the final. Outside football, it was the most-watched event in Sky Sports history. Luke Littler became one of the most viewed individuals on Sky Sports’ web and app, with his videos averaging 23.6k views, surpassing Harry Kane and Erling Haaland. Premier League Darts viewership rose by 189 percent this year.

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