6 June 2012 Last updated at 21:19 ET

Sports fans to view hours of Olympics on TV - survey

Sports fans are likely to be watching the big events on bigger screens and at their workplace

Sports fans will watch an average of 27 hours of coverage of the Olympic Games on TV this summer, research suggests.

That amounts to 97 minutes a day during the 17 days of London 2012.

The survey of 2,000 viewers for digital television service Freeview also found that football fans plan to watch an average of 11 Euro 2012 matches on TV.

The study suggests many people will be viewing on bigger television sets than before and millions will watch the Olympics and Euro 2012 at work.

Five per cent of those interviewed by pollsters YouGov said they planned to watch at least an hour a day of football or Olympics coverage in the workplace.

The average worker expected to watch the Olympics at work for 18 minutes a day.

'Unprecedented summer'

At home, the average television set is now 4in larger than during the previous Olympics - and almost a quarter of those in the survey said they would be watching on a screen 42in or larger.

Far fewer said they would be viewing on smartphones or tablet computers - but eight million people are set to be sharing their experiences online, while watching TV.

London 2012 - One extraordinary year

• The BBC's home of 2012: Latest Olympic news, sport, culture, torch relay, video and audio

The survey - called Summer on the Sofa - found that more than 180 million Olympic-related tweets are expected to be sent during the Games.

More than half of those asked said they would be watching this summer's events with their partner, and a quarter would be watching with friends.

Ilse Howling, managing director of Freeview, said: "This unprecedented summer of sport promises to be the most exciting in our lifetime as the nation joins together in living rooms up and down the country to enjoy the epic moments as they unfold.

"Despite the growth of smartphones and tablets in recent years, the report highlights the importance of the shared viewing experience as we look forward to watching landmark sporting events."