If you still watch most of your favorite shows and movies on a television, you’re not in the minority.
Despite the shift to more video watching on computers and smartphones, TV continues to be the vehicle most people use to watch their favorite movies and shows, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Women are watching more TV than men — almost 16 hours more per month, according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report for the third quarter of 2015. But that’s not because men aren’t into video — they’re just streaming more programs on their computers.
If you think teens are watching the most TV, guess again. Their grandparents (people age 65 and older) watch twice as much TV as youngsters. These seniors also watch almost 40 percent more than adults in the 35-to-49 age range. The biggest age group watching TV is 50- to 65-year-olds, who make up about 25 percent of TV watchers.
African-Americans watch more TV than other ethnicities, and surprisingly, lower-income households spend more time watching video on all of their devices than higher-income households do, according to Nielsen. The most viewing for all groups occurs during the evening hours (Prime Time).
Households making less than $25,000 per year watch approximately 211 hours of TV per month. This includes both live TV and programs recorded and played back later. Households with annual incomes between $25,000 and $50,000 watch a little more than 175 hours per month. Those making $50,000 to $75,000 watch approximately 144 hours each month, while those making more than $75,000 a year watch about 114 hours of TV monthly.
How does TV viewing compare to other forms of media usage (e.g., radio, Internet, games)? Households with annual incomes less than $25,000 devote approximately 53 percent of their media usage to watching TV. Those in the $25,000 to $50,000 income range spend 49 percent of their media time in front of a TV. For households of $50,000 to $75,000, TV watching takes up 46 percent of their media time, while households with incomes of more than $75,000 are likely to spend 44 percent of their media time watching TV.
Prices coming down?
With more video available online, TV programming providers are scrambling to offer more and better programming at lower prices. CenturyLink has now entered the cable TV market, offering its PrismTV package and giving people another choice besides the current cable and dish giants. In addition to its extensive programming and viewing features, PrismTV is delivered over CenturyLink’s 1-gigabit high-speed fiber optic system, making changing channels, moving among different features, and receiving signals lightning fast.
Other PrismTV features include the ability to display four different channels on a TV screen at once, and to record multiple shows from different rooms using only one DVR. Prism on the Go also allows viewers to watch from a variety of devices, including mobile phones. On the flipside, viewers can use PrismTV to access social media while watching a movie or show. The wireless box that comes with the system allows homeowners watch TV where they want – including in their backyards during cookouts or pool parties.
