Americans Using TV and Internet Together 35% More Than A Year Ago

Americans increased their overall media usage and media multitasking according to The Nielsen Company’s latest Three Screen Report, which tracks consumption across TV, Internet and mobile phones.

In the last quarter of 2009, simultaneous use of the Internet while watching TV reached three and a half hours a month, up 35% from the previous quarter. Nearly 60% of TV viewers now use the Internet once a month while also watching TV.

“The rise in simultaneous use of the web and TV gives the viewer a unique on-screen and off-screen relationship with TV programming,” said Nielsen Company media product leader Matt O’Grady. “The initial fear was that Internet and mobile video and entertainment would slowly cannibalize traditional TV viewing, but the steady trend of increased TV viewership alongside expanded simultaneous usage argues something quite different.” Read more at Nielsen Wire

Deloitte “State of The Media Democracy” Survey: Recession Intensifies America’s Love for TV

In a year dramatically impacted by the economic recession, consumers have returned to in-home entertainment, showing increased interest in watching television over other types of entertainment. Released today, Deloitte’s 2009 “State of the Media Democracy” survey reveals a 26 percent increase in the number of Americans choosing the TV as their favorite type of media as compared to the previous year.

Deloitte's fourth edition State of the Media Democracy survey assesses media consumption preferences of 2,046 consumers, ages 14 to 75 in the United States, revealing significant trends including a surge in television viewing, the ascension of the game console as a stand-alone media platform, the mobile phone’s rapid decoupling of the Internet from the desktop and the rise of tribal marketing.

More than 70 percent of survey respondents rank watching TV in their top three favorite media activities. And, when ranked alongside activities such as surfing the Web, listening to music or reading, 34 percent of consumers place it at the top of the list. This is a substantial increase from last year and more than double the percent selecting the number two choice, the Internet, which came in at 14 percent. Read more at Deloitte

TV Remains Strong as DVR and Online Video Show Most Growth

Nielsen’s latest A2/M2™ Three Screen Report – a quarterly analysis from our Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement™ initiative – shows considerable year over year growth in terms of time spent for DVR (up 21.1%) and online video (up 34.9%) in Q3 2009. Given the consistent spike in usage among the three screens of television, Internet and mobile, consumers are clearly adding video platforms to their schedule, rather than replacing them.

“Americans today have an insatiable appetite for not only content, but also choice,” says Nic Covey, director of cross-platform insights at Nielsen. “Across all age groups, we see consumers adding the Internet and mobile devices to their media diet — consuming media anytime and anywhere possible.”

For the first time this quarter, Nielsen reports how much time the average American spends in a typical week with TV, Internet and mobile devices. Without a doubt, consumers of all ages spend the majority of their video time (nearly 99%) in front of the television, while DVR and online video are becoming more widely used. Read more at Nielsen Wire

For Boomers, Integrated Media Strategies Are Necessary

Earlier this year, Forrester Research released its five year advertising forecast which found that marketers were shifting substantial advertising dollars out of traditional media and into interactive channels such as mobile marketing, display ads, search, social media and email.

Yet, marketers who rely too heavily on interactive channels, at the expense of traditional channels, risk losing out on the lucrative Boomer segment that are avid multi-media consumers. In fact, unlike other age groups, Boomers consume a daily, balanced diet of media from multiple traditional and interactive sources with traditional media -- television, radio, and newspapers -- providing their daily "squares."

Consider these statistics:

Television

• Boomers spend, on average, 9.5 hours a day on "screen" time activities -- e.g., television, computer, mobile phones, video games -- with the largest percentage of time spent on television.

• 77% of Boomer's daily viewing occurs between 7:30 pm and 11 pm, when they are most likely to watch The Discovery Channel, A&E, the Food Network, ESPN and Fox News.

Radio

• 76% listen to the radio -- more than any other demographic -- with half listening during morning drive-time and their programming preferences vary from oldies to country to talk shows.

Read more at MediaPost.com