TV ratings wars come to a head as 2016 comes to an end

This year's most watched programme is almost certainly going to be the final of The Great British Bake Off.

But its viewing figure – of just under 16 million – would not even make it into the top 100 shows of the year a couple of decades ago.

It is, of course, all down to viewing habits.

Bake Off has benefited from its skill at bringing together a nation to watch rises and soggy bottoms.

It creates personalities and builds an audience so that the final becomes "event television". It is also old fashioned and the people who watch it are still likely to be those who stick to terrestrial channels rather than flick between on-demand stations.

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Oct 26 15.9m

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Aug 24, 13.58m

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Aug 31, 13.45m

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Oct 5, 13.45m

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Oct 19, 13.44m

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Sep 14, 13.29m

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Oct 12, 13.26m

Planet Earth II, BBC1, Nov 13, 13.14m

Great British Bake Off, BBC1, Sep 28, 13.13m

Official ratings data this week showed that nine of the top 10 television programmes aired in 2016 were episodes of the hit baking show, which racked up audiences of up to 15.9 million viewers but will transfer to Channel 4 next year.

Sir David Attenborough's critically-acclaimed Planet Earth II is the only other programme to feature in the top 10 most popular shows.

While 2016 marks the first time in the modern era that any broadcaster has managed to dominate the entire top 10, the BBC's rivals can take comfort in the fact that it will be impossible for the corporation to repeat the feat next year.

Once Bake Off, as well as Euro 2016 football matches, are eliminated from this year's list, ITV occupies five of the top 10 places, with the reality shows I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here and Britain's Got Talent taking three of the top four spots.

While the BBC can celebrate, it also knows the days of whole nations watching shows together are largely at an end.

With the advent of on-demand services how audiences follow television has fundamentally, irrevocably changed.

It has brought on the advent of binge-watching.

1990: Neighbours, BBC1, 21.16m

1991: Coronation Street, ITV, 20.45m

1992: Coronation Street, ITV, 20.45m

1993: Coronation Street, ITV, 20.73m

1994: Olympics, Torvill and Dean, BBC1, 23.95m

1995: Panorama, Princess Diana, BBC1, 22.78m

1996: Only Fools and Horses, BBC1, 24.35m

1997: Funeral of Diana, BBC1, 19.29m

1998: World Cup: England v Argentina, ITV, 23.78m

1999: Coronation Street, ITV, 19.82m

2000: Coronation Street, ITV, 18.96m

2001: Only Fools and Horses, BBC1, 21.35m

2002: Only Fools and Horses, BBC1, 17.40m

2003: Coronation Street, ITV, 19.43m

2004: Euro 2004: England v Portugal, BBC1, 20.66m

2005: Coronation Street, ITV, 14.36m

2006: World Cup: England v Sweden, ITV, 18.46m

2007: EastEnders, BBC1, 14.38m

2008: Wallace and Gromit, BBC1, A Matter of Loaf and Death, 16.15

2009: Britain's Got Talent Final, ITV, 18.29m

2010: X Factor Results, ITV, 16.55m

2011: The Royal Wedding, BBC1, 13.59m

2012: London 2012 closing ceremony, BBC1, 24.46m

2013: New Year's Eve Fireworks, BBC1, 13.53m

2014: World Cup Final: Germany v Argentina, BBC1, 14.96m

2015: Great British Bake Off, BBC1, 15.05m

2016: Great British Bake Off, BBC1, 16.03m

Between 30 and 60 minutes of our favourite series is no longer enough to satiate our weekly appetite for screen-time.

Instead, we find ourselves spending whole weekends sleepwalking our way through hours of House of Cards, Breaking Bad, or Game of Thrones.

The box set DVD is now available at the click of a button through digital downloads.

With Amazon Prime battling in the market with NetFlix, it is also a market where watching TV is cheap.

The new habit has had a huge impact on the TV industry – not only how we view programmes, but what we watch and how they're made.