For the "first time in years, Nielsen is reporting a slight decline in overall TV viewing” in the U.S., according to Brian Stelter of the N.Y. TIMES. Nielsen data indicated that the average American in the last three months of ’11 “spent 153 hours and 19 minutes watching traditional TV each month, about 46 minutes less than they watched in the last three months” of ’10. The data may suggest that some viewers are “opting for Web video or are spending more time playing video games and less time watching TV.” Nielsen defines traditional TV as “consumption through a television set, either live or via a digital video recorder or video-on-demand service.” The company “does not count consumption on computers, phones or tablets like the iPad.” Nielsen said that it “believes the total number of American households with television sets is continuing to shrink.” Last year, the figure dropped for the first time in 20 years to 114.7 million U.S. homes, down from 115.9 million previously. The latest estimate from Nielsen “once again shrinks the total number of homes with TV sets, this time to 114.1 million” (NYTIMES.com, 5/3).
