Kitchen TVs to the Rescue as World Cup Kicks Off

Spare TV in the kitchen helps Plymouth families avoid World Cup clashes of their own according to Häfele survey

Love it or loathe it, for the next couple of months there’ll be no escaping it; the 2018 World Cup is upon us, ready to polarise the nation’s TV opinions once again.

More than 20 million UK viewers tuned in at home four years ago and there’s no doubt that the tournament will be dominating the airwaves again this year. While that may be great news for football fans, it’s likely to lead to disagreements in households where not everyone’s as passionate about the beautiful game.

The good news is that arguments over who watches the TV are less likely to kick-off in Plymouth during this year’s tournament. That’s because more than one in ten local households are using their kitchen as a second TV room, giving both fans and non-fans the chance to relax in front of a good-sized screen. In fact, research by furniture fittings and architectural hardware specialist Häfele reveals that 11% of Plymouth respondents watch the spare TV in the kitchen at least three times a week - because they don’t want to watch what’s on the main screen.

For those choosing to settle down in front of the kitchen TV there is no longer a sense of this being the second-best option. Today’s kitchens have a very different feel, geared towards sociability and comfort rather than just a functional space for cooking and eating meals. Indeed, the Häfele survey reveals that, for many Plymouth households, the kitchen is now a space that enjoys a wide variety of uses:

• Almost three in ten respondents (29%) use it to do household admin at least three times a week
• Nearly a quarter (24%) consider it the perfect place to catch up on some reading
• Just over one in 10 (11%) even use it as a space to exercise.

Chloë Thacker, Marketing Director, Häfele UK, comments: "The kitchen has always played an important role in family life. But our survey shows that it is becoming seen as the true heart of the home, a multifunctional space for cooking, eating, working, socialising and more.

“The increasing versatility of kitchens means they now have the potential to be all things to all people. And with the World Cup here, this refuge is a perfect space to either catch – or avoid – the big match.”