TV viewers in Southampton are being given the chance to have their say on their favourite TV shows - and get paid.

New research panel theviewers.co.uk is giving telly fans across the region the opportunity to earn up to £70 simply for talking about TV.

Informal group discussions are to be held locally on behalf of key UK broadcasters and programme makers.

Participants may be given a sneak peek of upcoming programmes, invited to help develop new programme ideas or even create brand new channels.

Southampton is one of several locations being targeted in an attempt to shake up the TV research industry, which is still biased towards running these type of sessions in London and the same few regional cities.

Sessions will be held in central venues both during the day and evening. They typically last up to 2 hours and involve 6-8 participants led by a trained interviewer. As well as being paid £40-£70 cash for participating, free refreshments are usually on offer too.

Signing up to theviewers.co.uk is free and open to anyone aged over 16. The process involves completing a short questionnaire on TV viewing habits.

It is these answers the company uses to match members to projects and identify suitable locations for research rather than deciding the location first, typical of market research.

Further information is available at theviewers.co.uk.