Report: TV bingeing on the rise

Brits are increasingly succumbing to the lure of a TV binge, according to the results of a new survey.

The poll, commissioned by VOD service HomeChoice, reveals that almost a third of people have recently watched several episodes of a single show in one sitting. One in ten admit that their binge has lasted more than six hours.

Soaps are the most popular for bingers, with 43% of the 1,000 participants identifying Coronation Street and EastEnders as the fodder of choice.

Although men and women appear to binge equally, viewers in the 55-64 age bracket are less likely to binge than 18-24 year olds (11% vs 31%).

"New technologies such as on demand television are changing the way that we watch TV, in the same way the introduction of iPods changed the way the nation listens to music," said Roger Lynch, chief executive of Homechoice. "No longer do Brits have to sit through boring shows simply because there's nothing on, they can just dive straight into their favourites.

"It means people are getting what they want, when they want it and are enjoying their viewing time more as a result. The only problem seems to be that some people might get a bit carried away - six hours of any show seems a little bit excessive!"