Interesting chart on TVs in the US

[mike123abc]

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Nielsen-Media-Universe.jpg

Some things you may or may not have known:

•How much more people 65+ watch TV (48.9 hrs/week) than the average American (35.6 hrs/week).
•The number of people with broadband but no cable was flat from Jan ’09 – Jan ’10.
•61% of US TV households still have a VCR.
..

 

[lakebum431]

The most interesting fact to me is that only "2 hours 9 mins of timeshifted TV is watched every week by DVR users". How many people must be out there timeshifting NOTHING with their DVRs to make up for those of us that timeshift everything? For me, I cannot remember the last non-sports programming that I didn't timeshift. It was months ago.

 

[jayn_j]

My father in law switched to DISH 6 months ago and they gave him a DVR. I was over watching a game with him and I rewound and checked a play in slow motion. He was absolutely floored and had no idea the receiver could do that. He hadn't recorded a thing in 6 months and didn't even know about the basic controls.

I somehow don't think this is an isolated case. He is not a stupid man. He's a retired chemical engineer for a pharmacutical manufacturer. He just had no interest in learning about this box and assumed it was the same as the cablebox it replaced.

 

[mike123abc]

I think a lot of people still sit down to watch live TV. The 2 hours of shifted has just replaced the VCR for when they could not be in front of the TV. I rarely watch live television, with the exception of certain sports programming.

Also interesting that 45% commercials are still being watched on DVRed programs.

 

[lakebum431]

mike -
I agree that a lot of people sit down to watch TV. I just can't believe that that many people who own DVRs still do.

jayn -
That is pretty funny.

 

[FlyingJ]

The most interesting fact to me is that only "2 hours 9 mins of timeshifted TV is watched every week by DVR users". How many people must be out there timeshifting NOTHING with their DVRs to make up for those of us that timeshift everything? For me, I cannot remember the last non-sports programming that I didn't timeshift. It was months ago.

I am right with you there. Sports, has to be live...it just has to! But series programing, seriously, I can't sit through the commercials, just programmed differently now.

 

[diogen]

"Average Americans spend 35.6hr/week watching TV."

Essentially the same amount of time as being at work.

That is creepy!

Diogen.

 

[Hall]

Regarding the DVR, sounds like my in-laws... They may use it to pause and rewind, but not to record shows. Their "list" was completely empty. My wife had to ask them what shows they like to watch and set the timers up for them.

 

[jayn_j]

"Average Americans spend 35.6hr/week watching TV."

Essentially the same amount of time as being at work.

That is creepy!

Diogen.

I wonder if this statistic is the total on time for the TV. My daughter watches a bunch of Nick teen stuff after school, an hour or 2 a day. My son watches some discovery/science channel, maybe 4-5 hours a week. I watch 3 hour long dramas after they go to bed (Bones, Medium-RIP, Shameless). Together, we watch 3 sitcoms and the three USA series, up to about 6 hours a week. We are up to 25 hours a week, but none of us go over 10 individually.

 

[Stargazer]

So they are saying that the average person watches five hours of tv per day. I don't doubt that but know that many do not watch but a few hours each day. I assume that there would be less watched during the week and a bit more, perhaps half of that watched on the weekend when people do not work.