Sky has released its first Attention Index, which details how UK audiences have been watching TV and interacting with Sky’s services.
According to the Index, over two billion hours of content made by Sky have been watched; and one billion hours of Sky Sports. Overall, viewing of Sky Sports was up 17% in 2023. Football remains the most popular sport with 313 million hours of live football were watched by Sky viewers from January to June. However, darts is expanding its fan base across the country. The PDC World Darts Championship final enjoyed a 204% increase in viewing, with average viewing for the final at 3.1 million
Ahead of the General Election, 15 million people watched Sky News.
Sky says that the amount of time spent watching TV in Sky homes is at its highest level outside of lockdown.
Dana Strong, Group CEO, Sky: “This report shows that as our viewing habits become more fractured, the competition for our attention is even greater. With UK households watching over two billion hours of content made by Sky, we’re proud of the role that we play in bringing entertainment content and sporting moments to millions of viewers.”
The report shows that Sky Original productions, such as Mary & George, are performing better than ever before. The Sky Original, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, has had 6.8 million hours of viewing since launching in May, and every episode has been watched by at least 1.3 million people.
There is also an insight into the growing use of on demand content. Season 4 of True Detective has had 10 million viewing hours since it launched on Sky in January 2024, 46% of which was on demand. This compares to True Detective Season One which launched on Sky ten years ago and at the time received 9% of viewing via on demand.
There is also detail on connectivity with the average household now having 21 smart devices available to them.
Smart TV usage is at its highest between the 25-34 and 35-44 age brackets; interestingly DTT use peaks at 27% between 35-44, but that’s also the segment where the tablet peaks.
