Commentary

More Looks, More Screens

by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, September 11, 2009

Americans are increasing their overall media consumption, and media multi-tasking is part of the equation, according to new data from The Nielsen Company's most recent Three Screen Report. During 2nd Quarter 2009, the number of people watching mobile video increased 70% from last year and people who watch video online increased their viewing by 46% compared to a year ago.

In addition, the average American TV consumption remains at an all-time high (141 hours per month) compared to the same time frame last year.

As of 2Q09 the 290 million people in the U.S. with TVs spend on average 141 hours: 3 minutes each month tuning into television. June 2009 data (used in this report in place of 2Q09) shows that 134 million people watching video on the Internet spent on average 3 hours:11 minutes during the month doing so. As of 2Q09 the 15 million people subscribing to mobile video in the U.S. spend on average 3 hrs:15 minutes each month watching video on a mobile phone.

Overall Usage Number of Users (in 000's - Monthly Reach)
	*2Q09*	*1Q09*	*2Q08*	*% Diff Yr to Yr*
Watching TV in the home	284,396	284,574	281,746	0.9%
Watching Time shifted TV	82,297	79,533	62,240	32.2%
Using the Internet	191,035	163,110	159,986	19.4%
Watching Video on Internet	133,962	131,102	119,164	12.4%
Using a Mobile Phone	233,722	230,436	221,651	0.5%
Mobile Subscribers Watching Video on a Mobile Phone	15,267	13,419	9,004	70.0%
Source: The Nielsen Company, September 2009

Monthly Time Spent in Hours:Minutes Per User
*Activity*	*2Q 09*	*1Q 09*	*2Q 08*	*% Diff Yr to Yr (2Q 09 to 2Q 08)*	*Absolute Diff Yr to Yr (2Q 09 to 2Q 08)*
Watching TV in the home	141:03	153:27	139:00	1.5%	2:02
Watching time shifted TV	7:16	8:13	6:05	19.5%	1:11
Using the Internet	26:15	29:15	26:29	-0.9%	0:14
Watching video on Internet	3:11	3:00	2:12	45.5%	0:59
Mobile subscribers watching video on a mobile phone	3:15	3:37	3:37	-10.0%	0:22
Source: The Nielsen Company, September 2009

Nielsen data also shows Americans are using DVRs more than ever, watching one hour more of time shifted TV each month than a year ago. Currently, 30% of homes in the U.S. have DVR devices.

Jim O'Hara, President, Media Product Leadership, The Nielsen Company, says "Although we have seen the computer and mobile phone screens taking on a significant role, their emergence has not been at the cost of TV viewership... "

As of June 2009, the Nielsen Convergence Research Panel shows 57% of consumers with Internet access at home watch TV and go online simultaneously at least once a month. On average these consumers spend 2 hours, 39 minutes each month simultaneously using the Internet while also watching TV. Their online experience at home is in front of the television almost a third of the time.

Persons Watching TV and Using the Internet Simultaneously (At Least Once Per Month, June 2009)
*Activity*	*Use*
% of Persons Using TV/Internet Simultaneously	56.9%
Estimated Number of Persons Using TV/Internet Simultaneously	128,047,000
Time Spent Simultaneously Using TV/Internet Per Person in Hours:Minutes	2:39
Average % of TV time Panelists spent also using the Internet	2.7%
Average % of Internet time Panelists spent also using TV	27.9%
Source: The Nielsen Company, September 2009

Other Key Facts and Trends

As Americans continue to watch more TV each year there are also more TVs in each home than people - in 2009 the average U.S. home had only 2.5 people vs 2.86 television sets. 54% of Americans have three or more TV sets in the home.
Online usage is relatively flat since last year, though more people are viewing video online than ever before. Certain age groups also view online video more than others do - Adults 18-24 watch more than 5 hrs each month vs. Adults 65+ watching just over 1 hr of online video
Short form video (such as YouTube clips) still makes up the lion's share of online video viewing - 83% in May 09 - while name-brand TV network content comprises the majority of mobile video viewing
Younger demographics aren't using the Internet as much as older demographics, yet the growth rate of kids 2-11 online clearly outpaces the overall Internet penetration. The number of kids online has increased 18% compared to 10% growth for the total active Internet universe
Mobile video viewing continues its upward trend, with over 15 million Americans reporting watching mobile video in Q2 2009. This is an increase of 70% versus last year - the largest annual growth to date

Video Audience Composition (2Q 2009)
	*Composition by Age*
*Audience*	*2-11*	*12-17*	*18-24*	*25-34*	*35-44*	*45-54*	*55-64*	*65+*
On TV	10%	6%	8%	12%	14%	17%	15%	18%
On the Internet	6%	8%	9%	15%	19%	21%	13%	9%
On Mobile Phone	n/a	19%	12%	32%	20%	11%	5%	1%
Source: The Nielsen Company, September 2009

For more information from The Neilsen Company, and to access the PDF report, please visit here.

internet, mobile, research, tv, video

2 comments about "More Looks, More Screens".

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Judy Franks from The Marketing Democracy, September 11, 2009 at 8:37 a.m.
This data suggests two critical action steps for marketers: 1. Now, more than ever, great content in all forms is needed to satisfy all the demand for 'screen' consumption and 2. Marketers must look at their content holistically, as opposed to in 'silo's' given the obvious convergence that is taking place. This does not mean: take your tv spot and place it everywhere. It does suggest that marketers and their agencies must create a meaningful brand story that can travel seamlessly across screens. Judy Franks, President, The Marketing Democracy. judyfranks@themarketingdemocracy.com
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Howie Goldfarb from Blue Star Strategic Marketing, September 14, 2009 at 3:55 p.m.

This is great stuff. And it proves that no matter what the Ad Industry does people will ignore commercials via either DVR, switching where your attention is focused, to switching screens (like going to another website while the commercial on Hulu is playing). And there really isn't anything that can be done about this. If I was a content provider I would be focusing on how to micro-charge consumers to make up for less ad revenue. The content/media providers want money. The could care less if it came via advertising or direct from consumers. When this shift occurs content will become so much more better vs the poor offering out today, and Brands are going to have to scramble to figure out how to market differently.