Record High TV Use, Despite Online/Mobile Video Gains

TV, Internet, and mobile usage continues to grow in the U.S., according to a report released today by Nielsen.

As of Q3 2008, the average American watched approximately 142 hours of TV per month — five hours more than they watched in a typical month during the same period a year ago.

Americans who used the Internet were online 27 hours a month, and people who used a mobile phone spent 3 hours a month watching mobile video.

Men were more likely than women to watch via mobile phone, while women were more likely then men to watch video online.

DVR usage was up significantly (52.5%) in Q3 2008, compared with Q3 2007.  Americans spent more than six hours per month watching timeshifted TV — double the amount of time they spent watching video online.  The only exception: 18-24 year-olds, who consumed more video online (four hours, 48 minutes) than via DVR (four hours, 36 minutes).

During the 2007-08 television season, the average U.S. household took in eight hours and 18 minutes of TV per day, a record high since Nielsen started measuring television in the 1950’s.

“TV use is at an all-time high, yet people are also using the Internet more often — 31% of which is happening simultaneously,” Susan Whiting, vice chairperson, Nielsen, noted.

Download the report.

Learn more about viewing across the “three screens” – view Manish Bhatia, of Nielsen, addressing the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s December 2008 forum.

16 Comments to “Record High TV Use, Despite Online/Mobile Video Gains”

  1. Nielsen: TV Use Rises Despite Competition | Says:

    [...] Internet and mobile usage continues to grow in the U.S., according to a report released today by Nielsen. As of third-quarter 2008, the average American watched approximately 142 hours of TV [...]


  2. Bottom Line: We’re All Watching More « NewTeeVee Says:

    [...] U.S. TV Viewing Hits All-Time High; Nielsen says the average American watched approximately 142 hours of TV per month in the third quarter, five hours more than a year ago. How is it that with the rise in online video, TV watching keeps going up, up, up? Well, the two are not mutually exclusive; some 31 percent of TV use is concurrent with Internet use, according to Nielsen. (release) [...]


  3. We Are Watching More TV — Both Old and New - GigaOM Says:

    [...] whose efforts to measure television audiences are ambiguous at best, says that we are watching more old television, prompting some childish headlines. According to the study, in the latest [...]


  4. Anne Keisman Says:

    It’s possible that folks might need a Green Hour. Or two.

    http://www.greenhour.org


  5. p2p Capital Group » American Information Consumption Up In All Categories Says:

    [...] clipped from blog.nielsen.com [...]


  6. Kate Foy Says:

    Q3 2008 stats for television watching anything to do with the most viewed US election campaign ever?


  7. Nielsen: TV Use Rises Despite Competition Says:

    [...] YORK TV, Internet and mobile usage continues to grow in the U.S., according to a report released today by Nielsen. As of Q3 ‘08, the average American watched approximately 142 hours of TV per [...]


  8. Interested Party Says:

    Does anyone else think that the 18-24 mobile video usage figure seems odd? The 13-17 and 25-34 groups both show 4.5 hours/month of video while 18-24 (i.e., a lot of college kids) is down at 3+. That just doesn’t seem right unless someone has a reason why…?


  9. Nielsen: Mobile Video Use Rises Says:

    [...] YORK According to data compiled by Nielsen for Q3, more than 100 million U.S. consumers — 42 percent of mobile subscribers — have [...]


  10. laOtra TPA » Más tele, la misma tele Says:

    [...] 223 minutos de televisión diarios. Más de 110 horas mensuales. Todavía por debajo de los norteamericanos, que ven 142 horas de televisión al mes. Y la mayoría del tiempo para ver lo mismo. Sólo dos horas y media mensuales de vídeo en internet y más de tres horas y media de televisión en el móvil, según Nielsen. [...]


  11. Zachariasen | Nielsen: Mobile Video Use Rises Says:

    [...] YORK According to data compiled by Nielsen for Q3, more than 100 million U.S. consumers — 42 percent of mobile subscribers — have [...]


  12. Conference Call 360 » TV Viewing Is Down As Internet Usage Continues To Rise? Not Exactly Says:

    [...] today in the news item, TV-Watching Rises to All-Time High. The findings are available in the, A2/M2 Three Screen Report, and they also show that the Web is doing quite well (average is 27 hours per month) as is mobile [...]


  13. Mobile video usage increases 14% in one quarter Says:

    [...] Nielsen data [...]


  14. Los norteamericanos ven cada vez más televisión « Mercaderes Asociados Says:

    [...] El texto en Nielsen: Record High TV Use, Despite Online/Mobile Video Gains [...]


  15. MobiTV Hits 5 Million Subscribers « NewTeeVee Says:

    [...] coincidentally, all those events happened since our August story on MobiTV). Nielsen’s recent “Three Screen Report” found that mobile subscribers who watch mobile video spent 3 hours and 37 minutes per month [...]


  16. The Web Outside » Blog Archive » More Viewers, More Screens, More Time Says:

    [...] Nielson’s second installment (of three) of the Three Screen Report (full pdf [...]


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