If you think the biggest challenge of watching TV at home is choosing what to watch, think again. New research from EE suggests the real battle happens on the sofa itself.

Who sits where? Who controls the remote? Who dares to talk during a plot twist?

It turns out, shared TV time is less about content and more about unwritten rules. And when those rules are broken, it can quietly derail the whole experience.

According to EE’s data, 43% of Brits say their favourite part of the day is simply sitting down to watch TV. On average, people are spending around 20 hours a week doing it. That’s not just passive consumption. That’s a ritual.

And like any ritual, it comes with expectations.

The Red Flags Everyone Recognizes

Let’s start with what not to do.

The research highlights a set of behaviours that consistently frustrate viewers. These are the small things that escalate quickly, especially when multiple people are trying to enjoy the same screen.

Here’s what stands out:

• Shoes on the sofa (32%)
• Spoilers dropped mid-show (30%)
• Talking during key moments (27%)
• Remote control monopolies (18%)
• Falling asleep and snoring (18%)
• Channel switching without consensus (16%)
• Doomscrolling while something’s on (15%)
• Taking socks off (yes, really) (15%)
• Watching shared shows alone (13%)

None of this is surprising. But what is interesting is how seriously people take it.

Nearly half of respondents (47%) admit they’ve actually told someone off for bad “TV behaviour.” That says a lot. This isn’t background noise anymore. It’s shared time that people care about protecting.

And then there’s the seating hierarchy.

A striking 78% of households have unofficially assigned seats. You know exactly what this means. The “good spot” isn’t negotiable. Take it, and you’re starting a low-level conflict before the opening credits even roll.

The Green Flags That Actually Matter

On the flip side, there’s a clear playbook for keeping the peace.

The best TV habits are less about control and more about consideration:

• Phones on silent (27%)
• Sharing snacks (26%)
• Creating the right atmosphere (curtains closed, lights down) (19%)
• Letting the dog join (18%)
• Respecting subtitles (16%)
• Having access to multiple platforms (14%)
• Moving to another room if interests don’t align (14%)

Notice the pattern. The “green flags” aren’t technical. They’re social.

They’re about making space for everyone’s preferences. That’s important because for 39% of people, TV is still a way to connect with others. Not just consume content.

This is where things get interesting from a tech perspective.

The Real Problem Isn’t Content — It’s Coordination

We’ve solved content discovery. Mostly.

Between Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and others, there’s more to watch than ever. The problem now is coordination.

Different tastes. Different schedules. Different attention spans.

And one screen.

This is exactly the gap platforms like EE are trying to address with products like EE TV. Features like multi-room viewing and flexible subscription bundles aren’t just about convenience. They’re about reducing friction inside the household.

Instead of forcing one shared experience, they allow parallel ones.

One person watches live sports. Another watches a series. No negotiation required.

From a user experience perspective, this is a shift worth paying attention to. It mirrors what’s already happening in mobile connectivity. Personalization over shared constraints.

Streaming Is Becoming a Household Infrastructure Layer

What EE is doing isn’t happening in isolation.

Across the market, we’re seeing a broader trend. Streaming is evolving from a standalone service into something closer to infrastructure.

Sky has been pushing aggregation through its platforms. Amazon bundles content inside Prime. Even Google is positioning TV as part of a wider ecosystem through Android TV.

The goal is the same everywhere. Reduce friction. Centralize access. Keep users inside one environment.

But here’s the nuance.

Most platforms still assume a single-user mindset. Even when they talk about “households,” the experience is often fragmented. Profiles, recommendations, watchlists. All individualized.

What EE’s research shows is that the shared experience still matters. And it’s messy.

Why This Matters Beyond TV

If you zoom out, this isn’t really about TV etiquette.

It’s about how shared digital experiences work in a world built for individuals.

We see the same pattern in travel connectivity. Everyone has their own device, their own data plan, their own preferences. But the experience is still shared. Families, teams, groups.

And friction appears in the gaps.

Who has coverage? Who runs out of data? Who can stream, who can’t?

The solution in both cases is the same. Flexibility layered on top of shared infrastructure.

In TV, that’s multi-room and flexible bundles. In connectivity, it’s eSIM and dynamic plans.

Different industries. Same underlying problem.

Where the Market Is Heading

Research from organizations like Ofcom and Deloitte consistently shows that households are juggling more subscriptions than ever, while also becoming more price-sensitive.

People want choice. But they don’t want complexity.

That’s a hard balance to strike.

EE’s approach, letting users adjust packages monthly and access multiple platforms in one place, is one version of the answer. Others are experimenting with bundles, ad-supported tiers, and cross-platform aggregation.

No one has fully solved it yet.

What This Tells Us About the Future of Watching

The biggest takeaway here is simple.

We’ve spent the last decade optimizing what we watch. The next phase is optimizing how we watch together.

That means designing for conflict, not just consumption.

Because the real friction isn’t between users and platforms. It’s between users themselves.

And whoever reduces that friction best will win.

The bigger shift

Here’s the part most platforms still underestimate.

The battle isn’t just for content libraries anymore. It’s for control of the household experience.

EE is positioning itself closer to that layer, competing not just with traditional broadcasters but with ecosystem players like Sky and global aggregators. At the same time, pure streaming services like Netflix are doubling down on personalization, sometimes at the expense of shared viewing dynamics.

That tension will define the next phase of the market.

Because in the end, it’s not about having the best show.

It’s about making sure no one argues while watching it.