DO IT FOR DAD THIS FATHER'S DAY - HAND OVER THE CONTROL

Battle of the TV remote – research reveals Australian families at loggerheads

Dads are losing out when it comes to control over the TV remote, according to new research from Optus, with mums and kids dominating the screen two out of three times.

Control over the TV is a hotly debated issue in over half (56%) of Aussie households, where battling over the remote happens more often than not. Over half of dads (56%) are forced to wait until the kids have gone to bed to be the TV boss, while a quarter (25%) say they only get first choice when their partner goes out for the evening.

Dads are so fed up with not being able to watch what they want, a third (33%) head into another room when they don’t get their way. To ensure they don’t miss out, nearly half of dads (46%) are taking matters into their own hands by regularly recording TV shows on set-top boxes like Optus TV with Fetch. This trend could be more than just a safeguard, as one in ten say they record programs as their partner chatters too much, ruining the viewing experience.

Clare Gill, Head of Corporate Affairs, Optus said, “It seems dads get the short end of the stick – or the remote – when it comes to the family TV-viewing hierarchy. Luckily, thanks to set-top boxes like Optus TV with Fetch, dads can record hundreds of hours of their favorite programs to watch more of what they like, whenever they like.”

For a large number of dads, the key to happiness on Father’s Day will be to hand them the remote. It seems TV time is serious business, with one in five dads claiming they would rather go without beer for a week than miss an episode of their favorite TV show. Almost four out of 10 dads (38%) say that time on the couch watching their favorite shows will be the perfect Father’s Day present. Mums and kids also agree, with nearly a third (31%) believing dad should have control over TV viewing on his special day.

“Dads are well overdue for a privileged front row spot on the couch this Sunday – forget the socks and jocks, just hand over the remote to make dad’s day,” said Clare.

It may come as no surprise that families disagree on shows they love, and the ones they love to hate. This Father’s Day, mums and kids ought to know 66% of dads surveyed just can’t get by without comedies, followed by documentaries (61%), news (60%) and sport (59%) as their favorite types of TV shows. On Sunday mums and kids can also meet dad half way with family favorites including the Big Bang Theory, Masterchef and 60 minutes.

No-goes – the Top 5 TV shows dads refuse to watch

1. Big Brother
2. Home and Away
3. Neighbours
4. Please Marry My Boy
5. Offspring

For more information on Optus TV with Fetch go to http://optus.com.au/optustv

Contact Details:
Fuel Communications: 02 8217 6500
Optus@fuelcommunications.com.au

Notes to editors:
Survey was conducted with a sample of 1,006 parents of one child or more, aged between 25 – 54, distributed throughout Australia including both capital city and non-capital city locations between 13th and 19th August, 2013.