Continuing a trend first reported in Q1 2011, the heaviest at-home streamers consume slightly less TV, while the lightest TV users are the heaviest streamers, according to [download page] an October 2011 report from Nielsen. Results from “The Cross-Platform Report” indicate that streaming is still a highly concentrated behavior, with 83% of all streaming taking place among the top quintile of consumers who stream. This segment watched an average of 226 daily minutes of TV in Q2, compared to almost 279 daily minutes for the quintile that did not stream at all.
TV Watchers Also Avid Internet Consumers
When sorting by TV viewing behavior, Nielsen’s data shows that the consumer quintile that watches the most TV, at a whopping 10 hours daily, also spends a relatively large amount of time on the internet (35 minutes). In fact, this internet use ranks second only to the segment of households that do not own a TV (37 minutes).
Broadband Penetration Rising
Americans are putting a new emphasis on broadband. About three in 4 (72%) TV homes pay for both broadband internet access and a cable-plus TV subscription (cable, satellite or Telco). In fact, households with both cable-plus and broadband saw year-over-year growth of roughly 7%. And although the number of households paying for just cable-plus and going without broadband remains significantly higher than households with broadcast only and broadband (18% vs. 5%), the former group is on the rise, while the latter is in decline.
Other “Local” Findings
Nielsen’s report uncovers some interesting geographic divergences:
- Consumers in the East South Central Region spend the most time on the Internet.
- Bostonians have the highest Internet-enabled computer penetration.
- Consumers in Portland have the highest cross-platform behavior (in home TV viewing/video streaming on a computer) by adults 18-34. (Minneapolis leads for adults 25-54, while Boston takes the top rank for adults 18-49.)
Pew: Cable News at Front of Consumer Minds
Despite the growth of internet news, it is clear that TV news outlets, specifically cable news outlets, are central to people’s impressions of the news media, according to data released in September 2011 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. When asked what first comes to mind when they think of news organizations, 63% of US adults said the name of a cable news outlet, with CNN and Fox News by far the most prevalent in people’s minds. Only about a third (36%) named one of the broadcast networks. And just 3% named a website, either web-only or linked to a traditional news organization, when asked what comes to mind when they think of news organizations.
