TV remains the most popular device for viewing video content, according to [pdf] a market research brief based on a December 2010 survey from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). CEA research finds nine in ten (93%) US households view content on a TV, followed by computers (49%), car video entertainment (13%), cell phones/smartphones (13%) and MP3 players (11%).
While viewing video content on computers (all types) is growing, TV remains the central consumer electronics device for viewing video content. Census Bureau data indicates 96% of US households own a TV.
Service Providers Top Source of Video Content
Looking at the sources available for viewing content, television programming from a service provider (80%) is the most popular, followed by movies on disc/tape (72%). It is noteworthy that four in ten households report they view content on demand (45%) and DVR (41%), as more cable service providers offer the service and equipment for allowing consumers to view content on their own schedules.
It is also worth noting that close to one in three households (31%) view free video content on YouTube, and another 27% use free online video providers such as Hulu. About one in five (22%) stream content using a paid service such as Netflix or Hulu Plus.
9 in 10 Households Pay for TV
The data finds almost nine in ten (88%) households pay for their television service for at least one of their household’s sets. CEA research finds approximately half (53%) of households subscribe to cable service, followed by satellite service (32%) and fiber (10%).
In addition, some households subscribe to more than one pay service. In fact, CEA research finds only 8% of households with a television rely exclusively on antenna reception, equating to 9 million (out of 114 million households with TV) households in the US.
3 in 4 Americans Unlikely to Cut Pay TV
CEA’s research finds three in four (76%) American consumers indicate they have no interest in cancelling pay TV service in the next 12 months. In fact, half (51%) report they are very unlikely to cancel TV service. Of the remaining 24%, only 10% are very likely or likely to cancel pay TV.
Nielsen: Oldest Adults Watch Most TV
The average American watched 34 hours 39 minutes of TV per week in Q4 2010, a year-over-year increase of two minutes, according to data collected in November 2010 by The Nielsen Company. The heaviest users of traditional TV are adults 65 and older (47 hours, 33 minutes per week), followed by adults 50-64 (43 hours per week), with teens age 12-17 watch the least amount of TV (23 hours, 41 minutes per week).
About the Data: This report presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted among two national probability samples, which, when combined, consists of 1,265 adults, 643 men and 622 women 18 years of age and older, living in the continental US. Interviewing for this CARAVAN Survey was completed on December 9-12, 2010, with 1,015 interviews from the landline sample and 250 interviews from the cell phone sample.
