• by Wayne Friedman , December 15, 2009

Has a weakened economy led to a surge in more TV usage?

A research study from business consultant/researcher Deloitte says there has been a 26% increase in TV usage over a year ago. The paper, called 'State of the Media Democracy,' is now in its fourth edition.

In a recession-related trend, the study finds that 72% of Americans say they have reduced purchases of other entertainment, including movies, concerts, sporting events, DVDs, CDs and video games.

Ed Moran, director of insights and innovation at Deloitte, said in a release: "The recession has increased demand for in-home entertainment, with consumers choosing to invest in the enhancement of their TV experience."

Overall, 70% of survey 2,046 respondents rank TV watching among their top three favorite media activities. When TV is considered among other categories -- the Internet, music, and reading -- TV gets the top spot, with consumers giving it a 34% score. The second-best score was the Internet at 14%.

As other studies have reported, watching video large-screen TV is still the favorite means for U.S. viewers. Eighty-six percent prefer watching on TV -- live, DVR, or On Demand. Less than 10% prefer watching the same content online.

On average, U.S. viewers are now watching 18 hours of television programming a week -- up two hours from 16 a year ago. Younger viewers 14-26 had the largest gain -- 4.5 hours to 15 total hours per week.

Other findings:

• Nearly 60% of U.S. homes now own a video game console, a dramatic increase from 44 percent three years ago.

• One-third of consumers use mobile phones as an entertainment device.

  • Eighty-three percent of consumers identify TV advertising as one of the top three media with the most impact on their buying decisions.

• Only 50% of those surveyed said they would click on a Internet ad, even if it were targeted to their needs. This fell from 66% in 2007.