TV Viewing Habits are Changing

While overall TV Households have decreased (for the first time in years), the Hispanic, African American and Asian TV Households have all shown growth. Check out the latest numbers from Nielsen:

A comparison of the Advance/Preliminary 2012 National Universe Estimates with 2011 National Universe Estimates for Total TV Households, Black or African American U.S. TV Households, Hispanic or Latino U.S TV Households and Asian American U.S. TV households is provided below:

Total U.S. TV Households
• The advance Total TV HH estimate decreased to 114,700 (000) from 115,900 (000).
• Persons 2+ in U.S. TV HHs declined 1.8% to 289,290 (000) from 294,650 (000).
• Overall, we are seeing the aging of the U.S. population, with Baby Boomers “aging out” of some traditional buying demographics and fewer Gen-Xers to replace them.

Hispanic U.S. TV Households
• Hispanic TV HH experienced an increase of 5.2%.
• Growth remains strong at 3.9% for Persons 2+ in Hispanic TV HHs. Strongest increases were demonstrated for older categories where Age 55+ increased by 11.1%.

Black or African American U.S. TV Households
• Black or African American TV HHs experienced an increase to 14,230 (000).
• Persons 2+ in Black or African American TV HHs remained relatively stable, increasing to 37,613 (000) from 37,596 (000). The largest population gains were in 18-34 and 55+ showing increases of 3.8% and 2.8%, respectively.

Asian U.S. TV Households
• Asian TV HH growth saw the largest increase of 9.8%.
• Persons 2+ in Asian TV HHs showed 9.0% growth from the official 2011 Estimates. Gains were predominately in the younger categories, where 2-11 increased by 10.8% and 18-34 increased by 16.2%. While Asian populations outpaced Hispanic populations in terms of total population growth, this should not be interpreted as a single year change in U.S. populations as adjustments due to the integration of the 2010 Census data contributed heavily to the increases in the Asian UEs.

Has DVR usage made TV commercials obsolete?

DVR usage has grown over 90% from May 2007 to May 2010, with DVR playback almost doubling in the past two years. The number of people who have a DVR still varies greatly by market, ranging from 26.5% to 47.1% in the top markets.

So with the widespread usage of DVRs and expected continued growth, are TV commercials obsolete? The answer is a resounding No. While the media mix for advertisers is changing to include more social media and two way conversations, TV commercials remain one of the most effective ways to advertise for many business categories.

Do people with DVRs even watch the commercials? You might be surprised to find 40-50% of those who watch a watch the entire program, including TV commercials. I have a friend who doesn’t like to fast forward through the commercials; for him, it “messes with the flow” of the program. I’m in the “fast forwarder” group: so does this group see the commercials? There are studies that confirm commercials that are fast-forwarded are seen and have good recall. The theory on this is you have to pay even closer attention to the commercials so you stop the fast forward in time to not miss any of your show. I couldn’t agree more—I’ve even found myself repeating lines from commercials while fast forwarding through them!

Advertisers might worry whether time sensitive messages will still work in this new DVR world. To read the rest of the story...click here.

This article was also picked up by b2cmarketinginsider.com.

Source: Nielsen 2010 analysis of live and same day ratings.