Split-screens rule: BT finds more Brits are multitasking during cultural events

December 18, 2024 08:43 AM

A person streams a Capacity TV video while watching TV on the sofa with another person

British internet users have moved away from watching events with loved ones to become a nation of split-screeners, according to BT’s annual usage data.

BT’s Network Wrapped study found that more than a third (35%) of the UK admitted to regularly splitting their attention between multiple screens or devices at the same time.

The study’s analysis of consumption habits found that Brits used secondary screens during major events like sports matches for scrolling social media (47%), messaging friends and family (39%), online shopping (33%). and playing video games (30%).

Younger users admit to using second screens the most when consuming content, with 58% of Gen Z (those born from 1997 to 2012) found to have helped the split-screening habit to rise.

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With more and more connected devices in UK households, BT found a significant rise in what the operator described as “secret streaming” — covertly watching content during times when users are meant to be doing something else.

BT’s study found, for example, that 46% of multi-tasking men admitted to having been caught watching a live event covertly, while one in 16 respondents said they have watched live events on their smartphones while attending a wedding, funeral, or christening.

Live Streaming itself appears on the rise, with BT suggesting more than a quarter (27%) of Millennials (those born from 1981 to 1996) admitting to having live-streamed their attendance at major events, while 35% of Gen Z attendees admit to video calling friends or family members from such an event.

With landmark events during 2024 like Taylor Swift’s eras tour, Euro 2024, Glastonbury Festival, and Wimbledon, BT’s finding suggested British users have a growing desire to be part of major cultural moments in real-time as being behind the increase in live streaming.

Howard Watson, chief security and networks officer at BT Group said: “This year has seen the British public connect, stream, and split-screen their way through some truly iconic moments — from the final of Euro 2024 to Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour.

“But with more people using more connected devices than ever before, there is a growing desire — among all generations — to be part of the biggest cultural moments as they happen, and this is reshaping how we all use connectivity.”