For the first time in years, Nielsen is reporting a slight decline in overall TV viewing in the United States. In the last three months of 2011, the average American with a TV set at home spent 153 hours and 19 minutes watching traditional TV each month, about 46 minutes less than they watched in the last three months of 2010, according to Nielsen, which monitors a sample of United States households to produce TV ratings every day.
Per person, the decline comes out to be about 30 seconds a day, hardly a seismic shift. But cumulatively, the decline is significant because– to the astonishment of some in the industry — total TV viewership has been steadily rising year-over-year despite a plethora of other entertainment options. It may suggest that some people are opting for Web video or are spending more time playing video games and less time watching TV.
Nielsen also said Thursday that it believes the total number of American households with television sets is continuing to shrink. Last year, for the first time in 20 years, Nielsen said the figure dropped to 114.7 million, from 115.9 million previously, despite a rise in the total number of households in the country. Nielsen attributed the drop both to economic factors and to technological ones.
Americans are not turning off. They are shifting to new technologies and devices that make it easier for them to watch the content they want whenever and wherever is most convenient for them. As such, the definition of the traditional TV home will evolve.”
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