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You Are Still Watching a Staggering Amount Of TV Every Day (recode.net)
Peter Kafka, reporting for Recode:TV! It's cooked! Toast! Doneso. Ready for the fork. Except not yet, because Americans are still watching a ton of TV, every day. For some of them, it's the equivalent of a full-time job. The average American watches an astonishing 4.5 hours of TV a day, according to a new report from Nielsen. Add in DVR time, and that number gets up to 5 hours a day. That usage is shrinking over time -- a couple of years ago, Americans were averaging five hours and twenty-three minutes a day.Nielsen's data also shows that people are now consuming more content on their smartphone devices than ever. Compared to just 47 minutes usage in 2014, it is now up to one hour and 39 minutes.
In before this guy posts:
http://www.theonion.com/article/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-tel-429
If I'm lucky, I have enough downtime to actually sit and watch a whole hour a day, and that's while I'm eating dinner. If I didn't have a DVR, it wouldn't even be that much. Where is it that anyone these days hase 4.5 hours of free time to sit in front of a television?
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
The headline would appear to direct the assessment it makes about those who read the article, but I read the story and I only watch about 5 hours a week. I may not be typical, but then the headline still uses the second person pronoun.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
What the heck does this have to do with the Digital Equipment Corporation?
The fact of the matter is that they have been struggling for years to keep pace with the barrage of new video consumption choices Americans have. They still don't have a handle on it. And there are many in the broadcast/cable industry who uphold they never really had a good grasp (Those diaries! seriously...?) of who was watching what. Their customers are the broadcasters, not, say YouTube channels or Twitch feeds, so they will always have that bias...
but not "watching" it. background/white noise.
Please stop generalizing.
I pretty much have no idea what's going on in the world of media. I can't even name one movie that's in theatres. And I fucking LOVE IT.
my wife hates it and wants them to watch story based TV shows. but now that i remember i didn't much like that crap in the 80's either. it was just mindless time killing because we only had a few channels and no choice what to watch
There is some amazing content being put on Youtube these days. Watching various makers and machinists on youtube is fascinating stuff for some of us. Or the guy building a 74-foot steel chinese junk in Oklahoma! Between them and the science channels I track, I watch about 30 minutes of youtube each evening.
I also often watch episodes of classic TV shows in the evening, British and American, often from various internet sources.
That does add up, though. Maybe 30-60 minutes a day. Not sure what people are watching to get 4.5 hours a day though! What's actually on TV these days?
Editors: You have no clue as to what "Digital" or DEC even has to do with technology. Take two minutes and read Wikipedia article first. This is doing nothing but insulting your dwindling reader base.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
who cares? what's that have to do with anything....
I would be really interesting to see some sort of demographic break down on those TV numbers regarding things like income level, geographical location, employment, etc. I have a gut feeling that TV viewing has gone up in some demographics and down in others. Honestly I don't even know many people who watch more than 4.5 hours of TV a week much less a day. But most of my friends play video games instead of watch tv so it's not like we have any stones to throw about sitting on the couch to much.
Yesterday, the average American watched 3 hours of TV per day. Today, it's 4.5 hours. They both can't be right, so which is it?
The fact of the matter is that they have been struggling for years to keep pace with the barrage of new video consumption
choices Americans have.
Streaming services like Netflix have a perfect idea as to what people are watching. But I have a vague recollection that they don't publicly release their stats.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
I had completely written off normal OTA TV until recently.
Here is my entertainmentflow these days:
- Is there anything in my Hulu queue?
- Is there any episodes left in my current series binge on Netflix or Amazon?
- Is there any good PBS shows on OTA (Frontline, Downton Abby, etc)?
- Watch Buzzr (old game shows) on OTA and play WoW
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
Those assholes came to my door once asking if I would like to be a "Nielsen" household. They went over the details, and even offered money for the bother.
Let me tell you, whatever they offer, it is not worth it. They come in and connect a comm closet full of equipment to your TV so they can intercept whatever video is being fed to your TV. That would be fine, except their equipment causes all kinds of compatibility issues. They also insist on installing their software on any PC you watch streaming services on. That would also be fine, except their software also collects your non-media browsing habits, and has a keylogger so I can only assume they steal your passwords as well (I only installed their SW in a virtual machine).
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. I told these guys that I rarely watch TV. Perhaps once every couple of weeks when I'm too tired to do something more valuable with my time.
If you don't watch TV for 24 hours, the phone rings. If you don't watch TV for 48 hours, the phone rings every 30 minutes until you answer. They harass you CONSTANTLY to watch more TV. After 5 days they actually send someone to your home to find out why you're not watching TV.
When you _are_ watching TV, you have to hit control buttons on their box every half an hour or so, or the harassment increases.
After about 2 weeks I called them up and told them to come get their shit off my front porch.
I concur. I just got done watching a fascinating NOVA series on human evolution.
Upright walking apes seem to have had been around for roughly 4 million years, at least, with small chimp-like brains and NOT using (shaped) stone tools. They probably still used trees to escape from predators. There were several species and it was a viable niche; and for 4 million years these creatures remained mostly as-is.
But around 2 million years ago the climate of Africa started swinging wildly. This appears to have favored bigger brains and stone-tool-makers, and stone tools and larger brains began appearing in the fossil record. Thus, ironically, humans appear to be the product of climate change. (Brains are metabolically expensive, so big brains have to justify themselves.)
Table-ized A.I.
I don't know what I count as. I only willingly watch maybe a couple of movies per week, so 3-5 hours. However, the kids usually watch a little around dinner time, and the wife has it on almost constantly from 7-11 p.m. I try to ignore it, but if I'm in the room I'll find myself staring at it some and struggling to get other things done. Call me a TV hostage, I guess?
The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
So they're like the vegans of technology? no wait... those are ones without cellphones/smartphones... ok, the vegans of media... I guess..
Exactly right, Netflix does not reveal it, and why should they? And HBO knows exactly how many people are watching their shows through HBO Go. The content owners of the so-called Over-The-Top distribution of video programming have a granular and Nielsen-free handle on those numbers.
The normal
If your children ever found out how lame you are, they'd murder you in your sleep
...because more people are watching videos on Netflix and Amazon, skipping the ads. Since there are about 20 minutes of ads per hour, I'd guess that the time spent watching actual CONTENT is UP.
You do understand that an average of 4.5 hours a day means that out of six people, one has the set on 24 hours a day, and the other nine have it on for an hour a day.
And I know some of those people who have the thing on 24 hours a day. I don't think that they even know where the off switch is-- I don't think they even know that it has an off switch
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
They generate high levels of "Smug".
They just watch TV on their computers, smartphones, and tablets, but they feel superior because they can say "I don't watch TV"
They should be killed on sight....
Plenty of people watch various net videos like youtube or porn, but dont consider it television.
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."
To be hypocritical, this describes the history arc of slashdot. 6/9 front page stories are about people right now.
No, we just hate smug people that can't wait to tell us they don't watch television, and how they're so glad they don't watch television, and how much better they are because they don't watch television.
Watch it or don't, I don't care. But don't preach about it, because doing so just makes you a smug asshat.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
Young people => no tv. Old people => stuck before their tv. No surprise. This is also why the average lower with time : old people aren't eternal and youngling do not pick up their tv habits.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
oh man, and how
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Sitting around a campfire is two way communication. You learn more about the people around you (probably your friends) and they about you. Watching tv is similar to a game where some company tries to convince you to buy their stuff while you have to convince yourself not to buy it.
I have 3-4 hours after work. Total! I divide that between TV, Internet, feeding my face, and other crap. I probably see about an hour or 2 of TV, and that includes Netflix.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
They generate high levels of "Smug".
They just watch TV on their computers, smartphones, and tablets, but they feel superior because they can say "I don't watch TV"
They should be killed on sight....
How about you just go back to watching your "I Love Lucy" reruns on TV and leave the rest of to watch (or not watch) whatever the hell we want, whether it be on a TV or a tablet or whatever. Would that work for you?
I just have it on as background noise. The cat is watching it.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Not to mention Nielsen ratings are only valid for the demographic that participates in Nielsen ratings.
There's more to the consumption pie than the Nielson participants can possibly represent.
~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
Who the hell has time for that?
As a average it sounds terrible, I suppose some people have the TV on from the time they come home until they go to bed?
You -
Done. Fuck clickbait. Humanity is not a single homogenous mass. We are all individuals (except that guy).
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
I could have watched TV last night, but instead I shot nazi zombies. This is how TV dies. One zombie at a time.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
But I spend too much time on Slashdot.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
How about the following?
Collectively, Americans Still Watch a Staggering Amount Of TV Every Day
Yeah, it's not perfect either, but the original version is already wrong after the first word.
Couldn't stupidity pinch its wee-wee for three whole words until we get to "watch"—whatever that actually means when the viewer is sitting on the couch with a baby, an iPhone, an iPad, some weed, and a small stack of medical disability claim forms.
Perhaps that's part of why certain political views are held in esteem while others are demonized without a rational basis. People let tv tell them what they're 'supposed' to think.
I don't watch much TV -- not because I don't want to, but because there is very little of real value to watch.
The only decent news is CNBC squawk box which is only on from 3am-5am pacific time (before the east coast markets open).
There is only 3-4 hours of reasonably interesting drama or sci-fi tv created per week, and then only for about 30 weeks/year.
The rest of TV is mostly dancing idiots on parade....shows made by idiots meant to entertain other other idiots.
So, assuming 1hr of news 5 days/week for 52 weeks/yr and 3hrs of entertainment over 30 weeks/year, that adds up to only about 400hrs of worthwhile television per year for the entire year....or just a little over 1hr/day.
Educational TV? Where do you get that? Publicly funded television stations are so politically biased that you can't trust the science in them -- many of the shows are more about political indoctrination than anything else. I don't let my kids watch PBS.
If I want informational shows, it's usually best to buy them directly off teachingcompany/great courses....or find the rare youtube channel with someone who actually knows what they are talking about presenting ideas....
So, basically, anyone watching an average of more than 2hrs/day of TV....I just feel sorry for them and move on.
..or maybe they graduated highschool and it takes more than crappy soap operas to entertain them. Face it, a huge percentage of today's tv now uses that model. It's all about feelings and who's doing who. There's nothing smug about moving on from highschool drama.
Plasma TV's which are really the only ones worthwhile for large family use can require 500-550 watts.
I'm still watching a lot of TV, but I'm streaming most of it over the internet, and 20% of it is porn anyway...
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
We don't hate people that don't watch television... we just can't find anything to converse with them about!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
I've seen american TV. There isn't 4.5 hours of watchable stuff in a day.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
What really impressed me is that the stat is 4.5 hours of LIVE TV. I occasionally watch the local news while eating breakfast... that averages to maybe 30 minutes per week. That's the only time I ever watch live TV. With DVRs, and netflix / various internet options, I can very rarely find a compelling reason to watch live TV.
The only other time I watched something live was the presidential debates, but that was streamed from the internet. I don't know what category that should fall in.
Some do.
They hate being reminded that they watch someone else's fake life instead of living their own.
Why do you think crap like Kartrashians, Survivor, and other unreality TV shows are so popular?
watch != engaged.
I often turn the TV on while I'm making dinner or puttering about...
Haven't turned a television on in at least three weeks. I'm glad someone is picking up my slack.
Sounds familiar. A few years ago I moved house and didn't take my TV with me. I never really missed it, but it made me realise how many conversations I had which were about TV. Started lose count of the number of times somebody said to me "Hey, last night did you see...err....oh, never mind...."
Similar, but playing Baldur's Gate on my tablet. I get a lot more than just zombies to kill.
The new Hitman turned out to be a little short lived - Training, Paris and Italy and you're done. So I was retreading Sniper Elite 2 Nazi Zombie edition.
It's not always Zombies.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
That's the primary purpose of TV. Second is separating you from your money.
I have never heard anyone go one about not watching TV. What always happens is that some TV nut goes on about this TV drama or that pop political point or some hopeful politician with bad hair. And then they talk about it like everyone should know what they mean. When someone says that they don't know because they don't watch TV, I see the TV watchers get upset, like there is some kind of duty to be watching and be informed about what other people think you should talk about.
To be clear. One person says "this show is great" or similar and another says "not watching TV is great." Both express what they know and enjoy, but you only seem be bothered by the one who doesn't enjoy what you enjoy.
Not only that, but I think people who watch TV get upset by those who do not, because they know deep down inside that TV is a total waste of time. And yet without TV they would have little to discuss with their acquaintances, because it consumes so much of their time and thoughts. Some people think it is a personal attack against them, because they know they should watch less and how dare others do what they do not have the strength or motivation to do for themselves.
Still you are right. Some people go on about what they choose to do in their lives, as if they are a better person for it. Like vegetarians, cyclists and recyclers. But why should that bother you? It says something about the person who is bothered by what other people enjoy in life. Maybe it indicates that they need change in your life and are avoiding it.