Americans are increasing their overall media consumption, and media multi-tasking is part of the equation…

The conflict between hippies and their parents in the 1960s gave rise to a new term: the generation gap.  Ever since, the phrase has been an easy way to define the differences in attitudes, politics and culture between the young and their elders.  And while the generation gap seen today between aging Baby Boomers and a younger, fast-growing, multi-cultural population may not be as pronounced or dramatic as it was 40 years ago, the ramifications for the U.S. in 2020 are just as big, and perhaps even more so.
Beyond the typical …

On Friday, May 22, Nielsen Vice Chair Susan Whiting sat down with Fox Business News to discuss the latest television viewership data, which shows that Americans are watching more TV than ever.

On May 28, Susan Whiting also published an editorial for The Huffington Post.

Americans may choose to consume video on the “best screen available,” yet traditional TV remains the screen of choice.
The recent results of Nielsen’s Three Screen Report – a quarterly analysis from Nielsen’s Anywhere Anytime Media Measurement initiative (A2/M2) – show that the average American watches approximately 153 hours of TV every month at home, a 1.2% increase from last year. In addition, the 131 million Americans who watch video on the Internet watch on average about 3 hours of video online each month at home and work. …

Americans are watching more TV than ever, and the increasing penetration of DVRs has likely contributed to increased viewership.  But “Must See TV” doesn’t mean that people are gathering around their TV anymore during primetime on a Thursday night.  Appointment viewing is now when the viewer wants to watch it thanks to DVRs.  As of March 2009, 30.6 percent of households in Nielsen’s National People Meter Panel have a DVR, up significantly from just 12.3 percent in January 2007.
A key factor to this expansion is the integration of DVRs into …

Viewing of video on television, Internet and mobile devices — the Three Screens — continues to increase and has hit record levels.  Nielsen’s fourth quarter A2/M2 Three Screen Report reports that the average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month, an all-time high.  They are also watching several hours of video on other devices: those who watch it on the Internet consume another 3 hours of online video per month, and those who use mobile video watch nearly 4 hours per month on mobile phones and other devices.
“The …

Despite the proliferation of mobile devices and online video, television continues to capture the most viewers, according to recent Nielsen research.  But how people are watching television has evolved and it is these advances that have made TV more relevant than ever.  They aren’t necessarily “watching TV” on TV – they are increasingly likely to watch TV programs on the Internet or on their cell phones, according to an article in the The New York Times.
The average U.S. household has 2.7 people and 2.9 TVs.  For the quarter ended September …

Despite waning viewership numbers—and a male audience that has gone MIA—award shows remain popular with advertisers, and even more so with artists who can see music sales climb as much as 700% one week after the show airs.

Sixty-one percent of all U.S. households watched at least one of the two 2008 election debates aired so far, according to a new analysis released Monday by Nielsen.
On average, 41% of all homes watched the V.P. debate last Thursday — up one-third from the first presidential debate the previous Friday night, which reached an average of 31% of all households.
Of all households, 39% watched neither debate, while 30.3% tuned in to both.  11.2% of all homes tuned in to the presidential debate only, and 19.5% tuned in to just the V.P. debate.