According to the latest Nielsen Cross-Platform Report, Americans spent more than 34 hours per week in front of a TV set in Q2, 2012, where they watched traditional TV, DVDs and played games.
Most of the content from these activities was delivered to the TV set in a traditional manner, over broadcast, cable, satellite or telco connection, and a growing amount was delivered by Internet connection. Americans also added another five hours in front of the computer screen using the Internet, or watching video content, and an increasing amount of time using Smartphones this quarter.
Average Time Spent Per Person Per Day (People 2+ in US TV HH) | |||
| Time Spent Per Day (Hrs/Mins) | ||
Medium | Q2 2010 | Q2 2011 | Q2 2012 |
Live TV | 4:20 | 4:23 | 4:18 |
DVR playback | 0:18 | 0:20 | 0:22 |
Video games | 0:10 | 0:12 | 0:12 |
DVD playback | 0:14 | 0:12 | 0:10 |
Source: Nielsen, November 2012 |
Tablets and Smartphones are proving to be novel, and potentially necessary utilities, to enable a new trans-generational community of connected consumers that crosses age, gender, race and ethnic lines to participate in the multitasking that used to be reserved for the young, or tech savvy elite.
While tablets and Smartphones offer the freedom of mobility, close to 40% of Americans now use them while watching TV at least once a day, and twice as many do it at least once a month. Smartphones now have a market penetration greater than 50%, and tablets are already in nearly 20% of US TV homes.
More than 39% of people use their Smartphone at least once a day while watching TV; 62% say they do this multiple times a week, and 84% do at least once a month. Additional simultaneous usage noted in the report includes:
Source: Nielsen, November 2012
For more information from Nielsen, please visit the blog here.