The Nielsen Company has just released its latest A2/M2 Three Screen Report (download PDF here), its quarterly US-centric research paper. In it Nielsen reports that viewing of video on television, Internet and mobile devices – the Three Screens – continues to increase and has reached new heights. The number of people watching time-shifted television has increased by 37 percent year over year, reaching almost 74 million vs. nearly 54 million people in the fourth quarter of 2007.
The average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month, an all-time high. Meanwhile, Americans who watch video over the Internet consume another 3 hours of online video per month and those who use mobile video watch nearly 4 hours per month on mobile phones and other devices.
This increase in video consumption can be attributed in large part to the recession, as more people prefer to stay at home and entertain themselves through TV and Online’s cheap and escapist experience.
Viewers appear to choose the “best screen available” for their video consumption. The final choice is based on factors including: quality of screen experience, convenience, availability of chosen video, and the ability to watch whenever they please. The main trend is: as more content becomes available online, audiences will flock to the web for video consumption. In the meantime, traditional TV still reigns king.
Nielsen also reported that digital video recorded (DVR) and other timeshifted television is watched at double the pace as video online at 7 hours, 11 minutes per month. Yet in a potential indicator of how audiences could timeshift in the future, young adults (age 18-24) watch video on the Internet and on a DVR at the same rate — about 5 hours per month.
“The American fascination with television and other video content is not easing up, as consumers keep turning to TV, Internet and Mobile at record levels,” said Susan Whiting, vice chair of The Nielsen Company. “Viewers appear to be choosing the best screen available for their video consumption, weighing a variety of factors, including convenience, quality and access. It is clear that TV remains the main vehicle for viewing video, although online and mobile platforms are an increasingly important complement to live home-based television.”
Other notable facts from the report include:
- Except for the teenage years, viewing of traditional television increases with age; the use of video on the Internet peaks among young adults while viewing mobile video is highest in the teen years.
- Men continue to watch video on mobile phones more than women, and women continue to watch video on the Internet and television more than men.
- The work day continues to be the primetime for Internet video. Weekdays outpace weekends for online video viewing with 65% of online video viewers streaming content between 9am – 5pm Monday through Friday, versus 51% of online video viewers logging on between 6am – 8pm on weekends.
- 31 percent of Internet activity occurs when consumers are also watching television.
- During the fourth quarter, growth of online video was driven by events such as election coverage and the SNL/Sarah Palin clips.
- Despite the bad economy, the number of homes with DVRs continues to grow – more than 29% of U.S. homes are able to timeshift television, up from 27% in 3Q08.
- Nielsen 4Q08 data shows that mobile video has grown, up to 11 million Americans, an increase of 9% versus the previous quarter. Much of this growth can be attributed to increased mobile content and the rise of the mobile web as a viewing option. In addition, the average monthly time spent viewing mobile video among reported mobile video users increased 2%, from 3:37 to 3:42 between 3Q 2008 and 4Q 2008.
See also the Neilsen Blog
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