Frequency of TV viewing on a TV set in Portugal 2023

Television, especially pay TV, is common in almost every Portuguese household. Consuming this media service on a TV set is a daily, or almost daily, activity in Portugal for most people, as a survey conducted for the Eurobarometer at the end of 2023 has found. Against the 91 percent of people who watched TV on a set every day, only two percent watched television on a TV set about once a week, while one percent never did so.

Traditional TV is preferred in Portugal

Unlike what happens with TV sets, watching television via the internet is an uncommon activity in Portugal. As of 2023, 60 percent of the population never watched television online, which demonstrates the preference of the Portuguese for traditional forms of TV access. The television market in Portugal is dominated by four providers, even though it is between MEO and NOS that the battle for the number one TV service provider is held. In 2023, it was MEO that registered the highest market share in the country.

The Portuguese favor entertainment and information on TV

In Portugal, TV content mostly focuses on entertainment and information, as is demonstrated by free-to-air (FTA) channels. In 2023, the biggest portion of television programming in FTA channels was of an entertainment nature, namely 34 percent, while information stayed at the 20 percent benchmark. This was translated into more than 10,000 hours of TV entertainment content, and almost 6,000 hours of news-related content. General culture was also an appreciated genre in Portuguese television, with more than 4,000 hours broadcast.