The Explosive Growth in Online Video Is Not Reducing the Amount of Time Americans Spend Watching Traditional TV

As more video content becomes available online, Americans’ video consumption overall (on TV and online) is growing. According to a Nielsen report released June 15, 2011, traditional TV viewership, which remains the primary vehicle for video consumption across all demographics, rose an average of 22 minutes per month per American in 2010. That means the average American now spends nearly 159 hours watching traditional TV each month. In addition, U.S. consumers in the first Quarter of 2011 spent an average of four hours and 20 minutes per month watching video on the web (a full hour and 10 minutes more than in Q1 2010). And this trend - more time watching traditional TV AND more time time spent watching video online - was most pronounced among American teens (ages 12 to 17), who now spend a third of their online time watching video.