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Almost All Viewing in U.S. by People 18 and Older Is Still Done on the TV Screen — Nielsen Crunches the Numbers May 26, 2017 A new analysis by The Nielsen Company may surprise people who think video consumption is rapidly shifting to mobile devices and computers. Nielsen’s examination of data in its Comparable Metrics Report for the fourth quarter of 2016 determined that more than 92% of all viewing by U.S. adults — age 18 and up — takes place on the TV screen. The total share of gross minutes spent viewing directly on a television set was 82.1%, with another 10.3% allotted to TV-connected devices – DVR & DVD Players. Combining those gures, the total share for TV screens was 92.4%. In contrast, the so-called “digital revolution” appears to have barely gotten o the ground. The analysis found that 5.1% of viewing took place on computers, with another 1.8% on smartphones and just 0.7% on tablets. Peter Katsingris, senior VP of Audience Insights for Nielsen, commented: “What we found was that contrary to the popular narrative that smaller screens were taking away time from the TV glass, when we looked deeper we found that overall time spent viewing on the TV had the most minutes among every age or ethnic demographic looked at. In some cases the share of viewing was as much as 97%.” Young BoomersWatch 9.5 Hours of Video per Day; TV Still on Top By Jon Lafayette Live viewing on television still is the dominant form of video consumption in the United States. A new study conducted by Ball State University’s Center for Media Design and Sequent Partners for the Niel- sen-funded Council for Research Excellence, found that 99% of video consumption on televisions, the Web, and mobile; is on traditional TVs. Even among adults 18 to 24, 98% of video is seen on televisions. The gures con rm numbers generated by other forms of measurement by Nielsen. Live TV was the top way video was consumed, followed by DVDs, with digital video recorders third. Younger baby boomers in the 45- to 54-year-old age group average the most daily screen time, a little more than 9 ½ hours. Other age groups average about 8½ hours. The study found that TV users were exposed to 72 minutes per day of TV ads and promos, which dispels the belief that people are nding ways to avoid commercial message. The $3.5 million study was designed to take a look at how consumers use media. In some cases it reinforces other research. In other cases it “raises questions about the conventional wisdom” and dispels some media myths, said Susan Whiting, CEO of the Nielsen Co. Ball State did the survey by observing how 400 people used media, wherever they went, whatever they did, over the course of a full day. The observers logged what the subjects of the study were doing in 10-second increments. The technique yielded very di erent results than are usually obtained when subjects are asked about their own media habits. “Serious caution needs to be applied in interpreting self-report data for media use,” the report said. “TV was substantially under reported, while online video and mobile video were over reported.”