Virgin Media O2 reveals Brits' digital habits: More data, earlier nights

December 12, 2024 12:04 PM

A diverse group of people using their mobile phones

Data consumption in the UK rose in 2024, according to new data from Virgin Media O2, with broadband usage rising by 8.1% and mobile data increasing by 9%.

VMO2 Year in Review figures suggested the record highs for broadband usage were largely driven by British demand for entertainment, including gaming and sports.

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Gaming was noted as the largest factor behind the growth, with four of the five business broadband days for 2024 coinciding with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

The peak of UK traffic, however, was in the first week of December when six Premier League games were streamed on Amazon Prime.

The busiest hours on O2’s mobile network came during England’s Euro 2024 games with Denmark and the Netherlands, with 90% of Virgin Media households tuned into the tournament over the summer.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray’s final appearance at Wimbledon saw a 12% audience boost compared to 2023.

Away from sports, VMO2 found demand for TV dramas inspired by true events and scandals, shows like Mr Bates vs The Post Office and Baby Reindeer, were among the most streaming content.

BBC iPlayer retained its top spot as the most popular app for Virgin Media TV customers, up 8% from 2023, while Netflix took 32% of all streaming traffic as the most viewed on-demand app.

Notably, YouTube was the fastest-growing app on Virgin Media TV across audience size and total hours viewed.

Another noteworthy insight from VMO2’s data is that Brits seem to be getting more and more early nights.

Network traffic data consistently started to drop off from 9:20 pm, compared to 9:40 pm in 2020.

VMO2 found Brits are begging to get online earlier too, with the UK’s morning traffic rising from 6:20 am, fifteen minutes earlier than in 2020.

“It was another record-breaking year across our mobile and fixed networks, as our customers continue to use more data than ever before,” said Jeanie York, CTO at Virgin Media O2. “To meet this growing demand, we are continuing to invest and innovate to provide vital connectivity that underpins how our customers work, rest and play.

“This connectivity is clearly playing such a central role in people’s lives and our investment ensures Brits have the experience that they expect whenever and wherever they are.”