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Television Tuning at Record Levels, Digital Video Recorder Popularity Grows

Television tuning during the 2006-2007 TV year (Sept. 18, 2006 to Sept. 23, 2007) remained at the record levels set the previous year, Nielsen reported: Viewing nearly reached the record levels of a year ago, and the number of homes with digital video recorders (DVRs) more than doubled.

According to Nielsen:

• The total average time a household had a TV set tuned during the 2006-2007 television year was 8 hours and 14 minutes per day, the same amount of time as during the 2005-2006 season (Sept. 19, 2005 to Sept. 17, 2006) - and a record high.

• The average amount of television watched by individual viewers during the 2006-07 television year dipped by 1 minute per day to 4 hours and 34 minutes. The pattern was similar for primetime:

• The number of households with digital video recorders has grown steadily over the past several years and at present stands at 20.5% of Nielsen’s National People Meter sample. That’s up from 17.2% in May 2007.
• When Nielsen began including households with DVRs in its samples in January 2006, DVR penetration was estimated to be approximately 8% of households.

“Television clearly remains a very important part of daily life in the United States,” noted Patricia McDonough, SVP of planning policy & analysis at Nielsen Media Research.

“There are numerous screens competing for time and attention as well as consumer devices providing new ways for viewers to watch their favorite shows. Regardless, these trends demonstrate that tuning to traditional television remains strong.”

About Nielsen’s TV data: The 2006-2007 television year was the first full year in which measurement of digital video recording was included in Nielsen’s estimates. Also, Nielsen’s “Extended Home” initiative, which went into effect on January 29, 2007, allowed students in sample households to have their viewing at their campus housing included in the Nielsen ratings. On May 31, 2007, Nielsen began providing a standardized measure of audiences for the average commercial minute within programs, enabling users of the ratings data to evaluate the way advertising is bought, sold and analyzed.