Watching on-demand TV on PCs, smartphones and tablets only takes up an average of three minutes a day for viewers in the UK. While this amounts to three 30-minute TV episodes every month, it is only just over 1 per cent of more than four hours spent watching TV daily.

This is the first time the average amount of TV watched on these devices has been quantified. According to the full year figures for 2012 from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board, 2012 was the third consecutive year where TV viewing has exceeded four hours per day.

The average UK viewer watched four hours and four minutes of TV, including four hours and one minute a day of TV on a TV set, 27 more minutes than 10 years ago. The average viewer now see 47 ads a day. More than 10 per cent of traditional TV is now time-shifted to fit in with people’s busy lives.

Commenting on the figures, Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, said that while on-demand TV watching will increase, the growth in these services available on TV sets could limit viewing on other devices.