• by Wayne Friedman , September 26, 2012

Young African-American viewers watch less TV than older African-American baby boomers.

Nielsen says those millennials -- age 18-34 -- watch almost two-and-a-half hours less (5 hours and 12 minutes) than those 45-64 (7 hours and 53 minutes), according to a new report.

Nielsen notes that mobile platforms could be a factor.

Smartphone penetration among African-Americans has grown to 54% penetration this year, up from 33% a year ago. The study also says that African-Americans use their mobile devices to download and view videos at a rate 30% higher than the general population.

But these Gen Y-ers are more comparable with their elders when it comes to the DVR and DVD use -- with 18-34 viewers averaging 18 minutes a day of DVR use and 13 minutes a day for DVD use. This compares with baby boomers, who have DVR use of 21 minutes and DVD use of 12 minutes.

That said, the average African-American viewer -- overall -- watches a little less than seven hours of TV a day -- almost 2.5 more hours per day than the average viewer in the U.S., according to the Nielsen report.

Nielsen says marketers should take note of viewing trends and population: In 2012, the African-American population in the U.S. reached almost 43 million, and continues to grow at more than one-and-a-half times the pace of the general population.

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