The trend in the United States to watch videos on
computer screens rather than TV sets now appears to have
manifested itself in the number of homes who actually
possess TV sets.
According to the latest information from Nielsen’s
annual audience report released last week, the number of
U.S. households with a TV will drop next year
for only the second time in the rating service’s
history. The last time that happened was 20
years ago and was actually a result of
adjustments in data for the 1990 Census,
rather than a real decrease.
And, as might be imagined, the drop in TV
households among A18-49 will be the greatest,
2.7%. The reasons for the decrease probably
have as much to do with economics as they
have with the substitution of computers for TV
sets. If you have enough money for one device, you may
make the calculation that you can watch TV on a computer,
but TVs generally do not have all the functions of a computer.
As MediaLifeMagazine.com points out, a recent survey
from YPulse, a youth-targeted research firm, finds that less
than half of college students watch TV on actual TV sets.
Analysts say this decline in TV households is likely to
continue in the years ahead.