• by Wayne Friedman , July 31, 2019

Comcast Spotlight, Comcast’s local cable advertising sales unit, says TV homes in Comcast’s cable systems -- the largest group of cable systems in the U.S. -- are watching more traditional TV, including video-on-demand viewing.

In the first quarter, Comcast households watched 6 hours/25 minutes a day of traditional TV, up 6% from the same time period a year before. Live TV consumption for Comcast homes comprises 5 hours/32 minutes a day, with all time-shifted viewing (VOD/DVR) at 53 minutes.

This comes from census-level data of 17 million Comcast TV homes in 65 markets. Overall, Comcast has systems totaling 21.5 million subscribers.

By way of comparison, Nielsen -- according to its first-quarter data -- says the average U.S. viewer is spending 5 hours/46 minutes per day with a TV set, video on a computer, video on smartphones or tablets. This is down 11% from the first-quarter 2018.

Nielsen says it breaks down this way: Live/time-shifted TV, 4 hours/27 minutes; TV-connected devices, 54 minutes; video on smartphone, 13 minutes; video/tablet, 7 minutes; video/computer, 5 minutes. Live TV consumption is at 3 hours/53 minutes and time-shifted viewing, 34 minutes.

Comcast says there has been a 7% increase in daily time spent with cable networks in its households -- now at 3 hours/37 minutes a day. There was a 1% decline in daily time spent with broadcast TV stations (national, local, syndicated programming) at 1 hour/40 minutes. Premium cable networks -- such as HBO, Showtime, Starz -- is down 12% to 15 minutes a day.

Cable network household viewing share has remained virtually constant, says Comcast Spotlight -- now at 65% of all TV viewing; broadcast stations, 30%; with premium cable TV network viewing at 5%.

Comcast says its household viewers are watching 27 minutes a day of video on demand in the first-quarter 2019 -- up 36%, versus 2018. At the same time, DVR time-shifted viewing is 3% higher to 26 minutes a day.