Americans now watch more TV than ever

You know that scene from Wall-E where all the humans are sitting around the pool watching their TV screens? And you probably thought, "Well, too bad if people living in 1,000 years just sit around and watch TV all day, but humans today aren't like that." Or are we?

Last week, we heard that people don't even have to get up from their couches to order a pizza anymore -- they can just order it from their TiVo. And a new Nielsen study released today finds Americans are watching more TV than ever before. The average U.S. household watched TV for 8 hours and 18 minutes a day from September 2007 to September 2008, which is a record high since the days Nielsen Co. started measuring television in the 1950s.

In the third quarter of 2008, Americans watched more than 142 hours of TV a month, which is up five hours from the same period last year. And Americans spent 50% more time ...

... watching time-shifted TV (through a DVR, for instance) than they did during the same period last year.

What gives? Are we well on our way to becoming lazy, TV-watching boobs who can be saved only by a rusty robot and his band of wacky helper robots?

Part of the increase in TV-watching comes from the fact that we have more TVs in homes than ever before, said Gary Holmes, a spokesman for the Nielsen. That means that little Suzie can watch "Gossip Girl" in her bedroom while Mom watches "Dancing with the Stars" in the basement and Dad watches football in the den. There also are more and more niche channels, which means more people are interested in the shows currently on TV, he said. This year, the Olympics and the political campaigns brought a lot of people to TVs who wouldn't necessarily have been watching so much.

And then there's the economy. In tough economic times, Americans tend to stay home and watch TV rather than go out to dinner or buy things such as more TVs, Holmes said. Not that the lack of new TVs will stop them from watching a boob tube: Online video use is still growing, as is the average amount of time per month that people report watching mobile video.

So Wall-E, if you're coming to save us, maybe try fixing the economy first to get people out of their homes. Then you can get to work on saving humanity.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo by D. via Flickr

Comments

[David in Los Angeles]

This is nuts! Our family watches NO network or cable TV. We'll watch a video or two every week - we purposely have only one TV in our house. I'll watch something on line (YouTube) if it's "must see" (the election comes to mind). Wow, really sad. Turn off the TV, go for a walk, read a book, volunteer your time --- do something! Most of what's on is crap anyway.

[Red, Los Angeles]

Why would anyone want to waste their lives sitting and watching other people on TV fulfill their dreams while they just sat on their couch letting their own lives waste away? Our family doesn't watch any TV at all. None. We don't even have cable. And we don't miss it. Guess what? Our kids are big readers, our 9 year old daughter just finished writing a 150 page book on her own, our kids PLAY outside, do artwork, are really social with friends and do really well in school and their teachers all say they can tell the difference. As far as my husband and I, in between cooking and baking and gardening and writing and painting and hello...spending time talking and laughing together instead of in separate rooms...who has time for TV?? What a complete and total waste of life!

[michelle]

I guess I am what my friends call weird and in the minority for not watching TV at all. Just moved back to a place where you needed cable to get any stations at all. Haven't really watched much television for three years (or you could say seven). I just can't deal with the commercials. I prefer Netflix.

[Kathy]

Why aren't there any t.v. watchers commenting on this blog?

...oh, I forgot, they are busy.

[AaronJV]

Interesting article.

I would like to say that I, too, am in the minority in that I can't even imagine eight free hours a day to watch TV. My average is probably two hours a night, if taken over the week. There's usually at least one or two nights with no TV, but there are sometimes where, after the news (which is the only regular program I see), I get sucked into a PBS show (documentary, usually).

However, I have been catching every episode of The Daily Show for months...all online, since I don't have cable. And I look forward to Netflix providing me with entire seasons of The Sopranos, Deadwood, and The Office.

When I do get those episodes on DVD, they'll likely replace some of the news watching (I confess, I was addicted to C-SPAN for awhile) and certainly PBS. But only until the series has been viewed.

I also watch many movies, averaging one a night. But not TV shows.

Where does this put me in the survey?

[Lisa]

I watch TV around six hours a day. I'm an adult, I weigh 125 pounds, and my health is excellent. I just love watching TV. I don't see why it should bother anyone else. It's not your time or your life.

[jlex]

There are many sensible information and values that you can get out of watching TV. But the trick is, do not overdo it. As they say, keep everything in moderation. And you sure can get the most out of it.

[Red, Los Angeles]

Lisa - you are in the minority. The reason this should bother anyone else is because there are hundreds of millions of kids out there watching TV 8 hours a day instead of reading, instead of being outside playing. There are no commercials for spinich on TV, so they know it affects their eating habits. Studies prove the violence on TV is having a profound affect on them, not to mention the obesity rates of children in this country which are skyrocketing. How does this affect me? When the 80% or so of them have diabetes at age 20, and long term health problems (which studies also point to right now for kids born around 2000), we are all going to *pay* literally and figuratively, with higher medical costs and a more violent and imbalanced society. etc... They know it has a wider affect on violence and early sexulaity. Take a look around at most kids.

I worked in children's programming for years before I had my kids, which was the main reason I decided they would never watch TV. The marketing and selling they do to small children is disgusting, and the affect of "I want" and "I have to have otherwise I'm deficient and lacking" is a very real phenomenon, otherwise companies wouldn't pay billions in advertising every year to get those kids to buy, buy, buy. Consumer spending accounts for 75% of our entire economy...where do you think it all starts...take one look at commercials. It a vicious cycle playing out in the collapse of our economy right now. People are going through withdrawls right now because they can't "impulse buy"...they're watching TV and seeing things they "have to have" and can't. Watching TV and shopping are the new American Pasttimes.

[hilarious]

Yeah, you alleged non-tv watchers spend your time uselessly posting snarky self-congratulatory comments on blogs. Different screen, same end result.