t is a widely held belief that the days when families gathered together in front of the TV set are long gone, with today�s viewers watching their favourite shows on their own and in different rooms of the house. But research reveals that, far from being the bad influence claimed by some commentators, reality shows can claim much of the credit for reversing the trend - at least in some markets such as the UK.

Figures from media agency Starcom show that the proportion of commercial ratings garnered through shared viewing has risen steadily since 2000, from 43 to 47 per cent in 2004. This unexpected rise in communal viewing has occurred despite the average number of television sets per home almost doubling in the past 10 years, from 1.6 in 1994 to 2.6 today. ... more