Live TV viewing among all U.S. audience groups – with the exception of people 65+ – has fallen sharply in the past year, according to the newest Total Audience Report (formerly the Cross-Platform report) from measurement firm Nielsen.
U.S. adults 18+ spent an average of 4 hours and 32 minutes per day watching live TV in the most recent quarter, down from 4 hours and 44 minutes in the year-earlier period, and 4 hours and 50 minutes in 2012.
At the same time, viewing of time-shifted TV has increased from an average of 24 minutes per day in 2012, to 30 minutes in the most recent report.
The overall numbers mask some profound shifts occurring within the U.S. content landscape, however.
For instance, the report found linear TV viewing among adults 18-24 fell by 19.2%, or more than four hours per week, in the past year, from 21.45 hours to 17.34 hours. Viewing among adults 25-34 decreased 11.4%, to 2.97 hours per week.
Americans 2+ spent an average of 141 hours and 19 minutes per month with traditional TV in the most recent report, down from 147 hours and one minute a year ago. At the same time, the amount of time spent watching time-shifted TV increased from 13 hours and 12 minutes per month in 2013 to 14 hours and 20 minutes.
U.S. adults are also spending more time consuming content via other platforms, with the amount of time spent watching video on the internet increasing significantly – from 6 hours and 41 minutes per month to 10 hours and 42 minutes.
Time spent using apps or the web on a smartphone also increased, to 47 hours and 35 minutes per month from 35 hours and 44 minutes in the previous report.
Consumption choices are increasingly being guided by technology, with the number of smart TV enabled households increasing 78%, tablet penetration increasing 59% and the number of households using subscription video-on-demand services like Netflix increasing 19%.
