TV pickup

TV pickup is a phenomenon that occurs in the United Kingdom involving sudden surges in demand on the national electrical grid, occurring when a large number of people simultaneously watch the same television programme. TV pickup occurs when viewers take advantage of commercial breaks in programming to operate electrical appliances at the same time, causing large synchronised surges in national electricity consumption. Such sudden huge surges in demand tied to the TV schedule are unique to the United Kingdom.[1][2]

Electricity networks devote considerable resources to predicting and providing supply for these events, which typically impose an extra demand of around 200–400 megawatts (MW) on the British National Grid. Short-term supply is often obtained from pumped storage reservoirs, which can be quickly brought online, and are backed up by the slower fossil fuel and nuclear power stations. The largest ever pickup occurred on 4 July 1990, when a 2800 megawatt demand was imposed by the ending of the penalty shootout in the England v West Germany FIFA World Cup semi-final.[3][4] In addition to pickups, the Grid also prepares for synchronised switch-offs during remembrance and energy-awareness events.

  1. ^ Britain peak power demand (from BBC TV series: Britain from Above), retrieved 2022-04-16
  2. ^ "Does the UK Really Experience Massive Power Surges When Soap Operas Finish from People Making Tea?". Today I Found Out. 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "National Grid anticipates power surges during World Cup". The Daily Telegraph. London. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.