Commentary
The Connected Consumer
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 25, 2009
According to the Nielsen third quarter Three Screen Report, DVR and online video continue to show considerable growth in time spent from the previous year 3rd quarter: up 21.1% and 34.9%, respectively. In the 3rd quarter, the average American watched 31 hours of TV per week, with 31 minutes spent in playback mode with their DVR. In addition, the average consumer spent 4 hours on the Internet and 22 minutes watching online video each week, and spent 3 minutes watching mobile video each week.
Monthly Time Spent(in Hours:Minutes Per User 2+) | |||||
| 3Q09 | 2Q09 | 3Q08 | % Diff Yr-Yr(3Q09 to 3Q08) | Absolute Diff Yr-Yr(3Q09 to 3Q08) |
Watching TV in the home | 129:16 | 141:03 | 129:45 | -0.4% | -0:29 |
Watching Timeshifted TV | 7:12 | 7:16 | 5:56 | +21.1% | +1:14 |
Using the Internet | 27:32 | 26:15 | 27:18 | +0.9% | +0:14 |
Watching Video on Internet | 3:24 | 3:11 | 2:31 | +34.9% | +0:53 |
Mobile Subscribers Watching Video on a Mobile Phone | 3:15 | 3:15 | 3:37 | -10.0% | -0:22 |
Source: The Nielsen Company. Note: TV viewing patterns in the U.S. tend to be seasonal, with TV usage higher in the winter months and lower in the summer months, leading to a decline in quarter to quarter usage | |||||
Overall Monthly Reach (Number of Users 2+ in 000's) | ||||
| 3Q09 | 2Q09 | 3Q08 | % Diff Yr-Yr |
Watching TV in the home | 282,957 | 284,396 | 282,289 | +0.2% |
Watching Time-shifted TV | 84,920 | 82,297 | 67,656 | +25.5% |
Using the Internet | 190,481 | 191,035 | 160,070 | +19.0% |
Watching Video on Internet | 138,162 | 133,962 | 120,343 | +14.8% |
Using a Mobile Phone | 237,411 | 233,722 | 225,392 | +5% |
Mobile Subscribers Watching Video on a Mobile Phone | 15,744 | 15,267 | 10,260 | +53% |
Source: The Nielsen Company | ||||
More Highlights and Trends in the third quarter of 2009 included:
- 99% of video in America viewed on traditional TV
- Teens with mobile are the heaviest users of mobile video, at 7-plus hours per month
- The age group 45-54 mobile users log nearly 3 hours of mobile video per month
- Americans consume 129 hrs of TV, 27 hrs of Internet, 3 hrs of mobile video each month
- 63% of Internet users and 39% of mobile video users are 35+
- 57% of Americans with home Internet access use TV and Internet simultaneously at least once a month
Video Audience Composition (3Q 2009) | ||||||||
Medium | % Age Group Watching | |||||||
| K2-11 | T12-17 | A18-24 | A25-34 | A35-44 | A45-54 | A55-64 | A65+ |
On TV | 11% | 7% | 8% | 12% | 14% | 16% | 15% | 18% |
On the Internet | 6% | 7% | 9% | 15% | 19% | 22% | 13% | 9% |
On mobile phones | n/a | 18% | 12% | 31% | 21% | 11% | 6% | 1% |
Source: The Nielsen Company. Based on Total Users of each Media. | ||||||||
The American consumer is spending more and more time with his/her technology, especially with the three screens of television, Internet and mobile devices, says the report. Each age group appears to be multi-tasking media, but interesting patterns emerge by comparing viewing by device and across demographics.
Television is clearly where consumers of all ages spend the majority of their screen time. As of 3Q09, the average person watched television 31 hours:19 minutes per week compared to 4 hours of Internet time.
Though kids and teens are two demographics that online advertisers want to reach, their Internet usage is actually only one fourth of adults' Internet time. Also, young adults 18-24 are the only demographic group that spends more time watching online video than timeshifted TV.
Not surprisingly, notes the report, older Americans 65+ use traditional TV the most, at 43 hours:44 minutes per week, but they also are on the Internet more each week than teenagers (2 hours:25 minutes versus 1 hour:29 minutes).
Weekly Time Spent in Hours:Minutes (3Q 2009) | |||||||||
Medium | % Age Group Watching | ||||||||
| K2-11 | T12-17 | A18-24 | A25-34 | A35-44 | A45-54 | A55-64 | A65+ | Avg |
On Traditional TV | 24:49 | 24:21 | 22:44 | 28:29 | 30:26 | 34:36 | 39:45 | 43:44 | 31:19 |
Watching Timeshifted TV | 0:31 | 0:23 | 0:19 | 0:56 | 0:52 | 0:33 | 0:31 | 0:08 | 0:31 |
Using the Internet | 0:25 | 1:29 | 3:47 | 5:35 | 6:39 | 6:44 | 4:33 | 2:25 | 4:06 |
Watching Video on Internet | 0:05 | 0:17 | 0:35 | 0:35 | 0:33 | 0:30 | 0:14 | 0:07 | 0:22 |
Mobile Subscribers Watching Video on a Mobile Phone | n/a | 0:13 | 0:05 | 0:05 | 0:03 | 0:02 | 0:01 | n/a | 0:03 |
Source: The Nielsen Company. Based on Total Population in the U.S. (all 292 million Americans, whether or not they have the technology.) | |||||||||
Key Facts According to the Report:
- The majority of video content consumed in America, approximately 99%, continues to be viewed on traditional television. TV viewing levels are down 29 minutes from 3Q08, most likely due to increased viewing in third quarter 2008 from the Beijing Olympics and the Presidential election
- Internet video usage is also on the rise, with Internet users watching 53 more minutes of video online in 3Q09 versus last year
- Americans continue to use their DVRs - third quarter results show the average DVR user timeshifts more than 7 hours of programming each month, 21% more than the year before
- Overall, young adults 18-24 spend most of their three screen time watching live TV, but they typically devote more time to watching online video than timeshifted TV
- Time spent among overall mobile video viewers remains consistent, with teens reporting the most time spent on average watching mobile video, at just over 7 hours per month; however, this is not just a young medium, as older mobile video users age 45-54 report viewing nearly 3 hours of video on their mobile phones each month
- Time spent viewing video on social networking sites increased 98% from October 2008 to October 2009. The embedding of videos into existing social networks only strengthens the viral nature of online video
For additional details and access to the PDF report file, please visit here.
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.
Why would you publish on Christmas morning unless you're trying to make an "in-your-face" point? Grow up.
Why would you be here on Christmas morning to make such a comment if you were not (yourself), looking for some great info as was provided? HMmm?
This information does not sound very accurate. From what I have learned from other reports, internet usage is higher than what this report states with mobile entertainment usage experiencing growth.
Okay. I looked at the Nielsen third quarter report on their website..the following helps put things in perspective. I did a copy and paste --see below:
"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."
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. (link to universe estimates)
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 (P2+).
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.