• by Wayne Friedman , March 29, 2010

Young TV viewers already watch a lot of video on their computers and other digital devices. Now, it seems, they also watch a lot of TV outside the home overall.

A recent analysis by The Nielsen Company of a Council on Research Excellence study (CRE is group of Nielsen media clients) found that 18-34 viewers are 26% more likely to be exposed to live out-of-home viewing than 35-54s a year ago. And their viewing is 13% higher than those who are 55-plus.

Viewing in restaurants, stores, taxis, store checkout lines -- other non-home locations -- tally more viewing than "other people's homes": 3.9% versus 1.6% of total live minutes of viewing.

In "other people's homes," the biggest viewing is with entertainment programming at 52.7%. In "other locations," sports tend to be the big draw -- 38.3% of the time.

As other research has noted, viewers may not be fully attentive, which is a concern for advertisers.

The research has shown that about 25% of live TV at work is muted while 22% of viewing in bars or restaurants takes place without sound. Only about 1% of viewing inside one's home -- or another person's home -- is muted.

Overall, the study reports that around 7.1% of all live TV viewing minutes happens outside the home; 3.9% in locations such as restaurants, bars, malls, or outdoors; 1.6% in other people's homes and 1.6% at work, with less than 1% of live TV viewing in a car.

Live television viewing accounts for 71.7% of total minutes of viewing outside the home. This is followed by "environmental video" (13.5%), DVD/VHS (10.2%), DVRs (3.0%), video on computers (1.5%) and video on mobile devices (less than 1%).