According to a new study by Com Hem, it is Pappa who is the boss of the remote control. 3000 Swedish TV-viewers were polled and the trend is clear: 44 percent answered that Pappa holds the remote during the 2-5 hours a week that most families commonly watch television together. 25 percent said Mamma is in command. Among the siblings, little sister is first in command, followed by big sister. Brothers, whether little or big, are the ones least in charge of the remote.

“There’s probably a remote boss in every family, but the battle isn’t as loaded as it was years ago,” says Christofer Peilitz, production director for television at Com Hem.

“Today there are several ways to catch up on missed programs, like ‘on demand’ and recordable digital boxes. It’s the freedom of choice and the flexibility in TV-watching that we know is very important for consumers today.” Four out of 10 families watch television together 2-5 hours a week, two of 10 watch it as much as 6-10 hours a week together.