New Report Confirms Consumers Cut Back On Restaurant & Pub Spend Over TV.

20th August, 2009: London – As the recession bites, consumers would rather cut back on costly evenings out than reduce their spend on television, according to a new report published today by Deloitte/YouGov on behalf of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, which takes place between 28-30 August.

Research behind the report, titled ‘Television’s Got Talent’, found that consumers would rather give up eating out (43%), going to the cinema (38%) or the pub (38%) before reducing their television spend when asked which entertainment options they would consider cutting before their TV budget.

Younger people are less willing to cut back on socialising with 35% of 18-24 year-olds consider eating out less before reducing their spend on television, compared with 48% of 35-44 year-olds.

Mobile (19%), books (16%) and broadband (5%) faired better with fewer people opting to cut spend on these items over television.

Of viewers polled, 45% said they were watching TV for over an hour or more a day and, as a result of the recession, were watching more documentaries/factual (19%) and news (18%), compared to reality TV (5%) and chat shows (3%).

Jolyon Barker, head of Deloitte’s UK technology, media & telecommunications practice, said: “Consumers are tightening their belts and it is good news for the television industry that television is the entertainment of choice for the British family. Television, mobiles, books and broadband are the essential items the consumer cannot live without, even when times are tight.”

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