• by Wayne Friedman , September 9, 2013

Is traditional TV video-on-demand viewing about to become a big mover for TV networks?

Nielsen says set-top-box VOD is now available to 60% of all U.S. TV viewers -- compared to 50% of U.S. TV viewers that can access time-shifting technology via DVRs.

VOD access is way up from the 37% level in 2008.

Nielsen says ease of VOD functionality on set-top boxes, along with higher VOD viewership now included in traditional TV ratings, are contributing to overall higher rollout and marketing of VOD services as well as improved viewer usage.

Regarding VOD, young TV viewers 18-34 watch feature films more than any other TV category -- 52% of their VOD time. Older TV viewers 50 years and older also put films at the top of the list, with 42% of their entire VOD viewing coming from films.

Next comes general TV drama -- 34% older TV viewers; 26% for young viewers. Documentaries are third best -- 8% for young viewers and 6% for older TV viewers.

During the second quarter, the average daily time spent watching live TV among U.S. viewers was four hours and 19 minutes, slightly up from 4 hours and 18 minutes the year before. DVR viewing was at 24 minutes from 22 minutes; video games were at 12 minutes the same versus a year ago and that of second quarter of 2011.

DVD playback, which has steadily decreased over the last several years, is now at 10 minutes average daily usage.