When are Americans Watching? Whenever.
Over the past two years, since Q2 2009, timeshifted TV viewing jumped 31 percent with near-constant growth. Americans spend more than quadruple the time per week watching timeshifted content on a TV (via DVR, video on demand or DVD playback) as they do online video.

Americans 25-64 spend the most time watching timeshifted content but Americans 65+ and kids 2-11 are catching up, with heightened growth in time spent in recent quarters. Both groups experienced double-digit growth in time spent over last year, while those middle demographics remained relatively the same. White consumers are the most likely to have a DVR and, compared to all DVR households, timeshift more content than other ethnic groups.

How are Americans Tuning In?
Subscription shifts underscore that Americans are putting a new emphasis on broadband. Nearly three-fourths (72%) of U.S. TV homes pay for both a cable-plus TV subscription (cable, satellite or Telco) and broadband Internet. In fact, households with both cable-plus and broadband saw year-over-year growth of nearly 7 percent.

How Does Geography Factor?
Just as there are viewing differences across age, gender and ethnicity, there are regional differences as well. According to the Nielsen Cross-Platform Report:

• The south spends the most time watching TV, with New Orleans taking the top spot.
• Baltimore has the highest video game console penetration.
• Dallas has the highest DVR penetration.
• Consumers in the Pacific (West) Region spend the most time watching video on the Internet while the East South Central region spends the most time on the Internet
• Miamians are most likely to have a mobile phone in their pockets.
• Bostonians have the highest Internet-enabled computer penetration.

Click here to download Nielsen’s Q2 2011 Cross-Platform Report

Although there are no differences between when men and women watch TV during primetime, age is a factor. Viewers ages 18-49 typically tune in later. For this demographic, 9:45 to 10:00pm is prime viewing time, while they use TV the least at the beginning of primetime, from 8:00 to 8:15pm.

A key factor to this expansion is the integration of DVRs into cable and DBS set top boxes: 55 percent of DVR homes had it as part of their cable box and 40 percent had a DVR within their DBS box.  Just 5 percent had a standalone DVR.  And as households recognize the convenience DVR offers, a growing number are becoming multi-DVR households.  25 percent of homes had two, while 5 percent had three or more.

“DVRs are changing the way Americans watch TV. Despite the competition for viewers’ attention from the Internet, video games and other media, TV viewership continues to rise.  As with other vehicles, convenience is key – allowing people to consume content when they want.  DVRs are a relatively inexpensive and useful tool for viewers to do that,” said Pat McDonough, Senior Vice President, Planning Policy & Analysis at Nielsen.

So what are people recording and when are they finding the time to playback recorded programs? Most playback is occurring during primetime, early fringe and late fringe.  Playback during the day was highest on Saturdays and Sundays as viewers used the weekend to catch up on their favorite programs and movies.  Programs recorded between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. were played back within the same day more than those airing at 10 p.m., which could impact live viewership of programs airing at 10 p.m. and later.

Of Nielsen’s 56 Metered Markets, the top ten for DVR penetration are:

Download a full copy of Nielsen’s DVR report, including more detailed information about playback, impact on program loyalty, demographics and possible implications for networks here.

Could the dire economic conditions also be changing the way Americans watch TV?

Yes and no, according to a Nielsen report released Friday, which found that Americans are watching more cable news this year than they did last year. Between September 15, 2008 and October 19, 2008, tuning to cable news networks almost doubled, versus the same period last year, according to Nielsen.

U.S. homes with the highest household incomes ($100,000+/year) — who likely have the largest investments — showed the greatest percentage growth in cable news viewership over last year (+125%).  Among households with the lowest annual incomes (less than $20,000), cable news viewership in September and October showed the smallest growth from the same period in 2007 (+38%).

A caveat: the presidential race is likely drawing more cable news tuning in 2008.  As such, growth in cable news tuning cannot be attributed solely to viewers’ interest in the economic crisis.

Meanwhile, despite shrinking household budgets and widespread belt-tightening, Americans are not downgrading from cable and satellite TV plans to less expensive broadcast only TV service.

As of September, 1.4% of homes that received cable or satellite service in September 2007 had downgraded to broadcast only service.  That percentage of down-graders remains unchanged from last year, when the U.S. economy was still relatively healthy.

View the full report.

Chief among these thrifty advertising alternatives – the auto-themed Speed Channel, which Republicans are 52% more likely to watch, compared with the average American.

In comparison, Republican voters are 48% more likely to watch FOX News and 33% more likely to watch Country Music Television. 

The takeaway: well-placed cable advertising can reach core Republican constituents at a more favorable CPM.

Nielsen’s report is based on a survey of 40,000 registered U.S. voters, conducted online on September 30. 

The report’s findings track the TV viewing habits of Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters, pinpointing which TV networks reach the largest percentages of voters of each political affiliation.

View Nielsen PreView’s report.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in The Independent and The Hollywood Reporter.