• Ad Age, Monday, May 14, 2007 10:20 AM

While prime time used to be "appointment television," many viewers now opt out. While Fox continues to break records with "American Idol" and top-tier events like the Super Bowl or Academy Awards remain strong, younger folks are tuning out.

The University of Southern California's Entertainment Technology Center, a nonprofit venture funded by entertainment and tech players, tracks how students are watching TV. While many of them spend more time than ever glued to the screen, they are elsewhere when the networks and advertisers want them.

"I've watched very little [scheduled] TV since I got my TiVo," says K.C. Blake, a business student who participated in the trials. "I time-shift almost every program I watch so I can fast-forward. I watch more programs than before." Blake adds that he usually makes viewing and product choices based on word-of-mouth.

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