TV, Internet and Mobile Usage In U.S. Keeps Increasing, Says Nielsen

Latest Results from Nielsen’s A2/M2 Three Screen Report

New York, NY – The Nielsen Company reported that viewing of video on television, Internet and mobile devices – the Three Screens – continues to increase and has reached new heights. In its fourth quarter “A2/M2 Three Screen Report”, Nielsen reported that the average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month, an all-time high. Meanwhile, Americans who watch video over 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.

Nielsen also reported that digital video recorded (DVR) and other timeshifted television is watched at double the pace as video online at 7 hours, 11 minutes per month. Yet in a potential indicator of how audiences could timeshift in the future, young adults (age 18-24) watch video on the Internet and on a DVR at the same rate -- about 5 hours per month.

The full “A2M2 Three Screen Report” is available at http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire.

“The American fascination with television and other video content is not easing up, as consumers keep turning to TV, Internet and Mobile at record levels,” said Susan Whiting, vice chair of The Nielsen Company. “Viewers appear to be choosing the best screen available for their video consumption, weighing a variety of factors, including convenience, quality and access. It is clear that TV remains the main vehicle for viewing video, although online and mobile platforms are an increasingly important complement to live home-based television.”

Other notable facts from the report include:

* Except for the teenage years, viewing of traditional television increases with age; the use of video on the Internet peaks among young adults while viewing mobile video is highest in the teen years.

* Men continue to watch video on mobile phones more than women, and women continue to watch video on the Internet and television more than men.

* The work day continues to be the primetime for Internet video. Weekdays outpace weekends for online video viewing with 65% of online video viewers streaming content between 9am – 5pm Monday through Friday, versus 51% of online video viewers logging on between 6am – 8pm on weekends.

* Nielsen 4Q08 data shows that mobile video has grown, up to 11 million Americans, an increase of 9% versus the previous quarter. Much of this growth can be attributed to increased mobile content and the rise of the mobile web as a viewing option. In addition, the average monthly time spent viewing mobile video among reported mobile video users increased 2%, from 3:37 to 3:42 between 3Q 2008 and 4Q 2008.

The TV and Internet figures are calculated using Nielsen’s National TV and Internet panels which are measured electronically and reported on a regular basis. The Mobile phone figures are collected by Nielsen via a quarterly survey, and give a firsthand look at how early adopters report their usage of mobile video. (See Table 1: “Table 1 Monthly Time Spent in Hours: Minutes Per User 2+” and “Table 2 Monthly Time Spent in Hours:Minutes 4Q 2008” in Full PDF Download version of release).
About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.