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Viewers Only Watch 10% of Pay-TV Channels: Nielsen (usatoday.com)

Chances are if you have cable, satellite or telco-delivered TV service, you aren't watching all the channels in your package. Heck, you probably aren't even watching half of the channels you pay for. Global information and measurement company Nielsen has conducted some research and found that viewers are actually watching, on average, only about 20 of the 200 channels they pay for. What this means is that a majority of us watch less than 10% of the channels we pay our cable, satellite or other provider for. USA Today reports: Back in May 2014, viewers watched 10.6% of the 197 channels they said they paid for, Nielsen's TV Audience Report found. A year later, viewers watched 9.6% of the 208 channels they got. This year, viewers also watched 9.6% of the 206 channels on their pay-TV service. That doesn't mean customers are unhappy with their service. "There is a jump between 'I'm not watching all the channels I pay for' to 'I'm not going to pay for more channels than I watch,'" says Glenn Enoch, senior vice president of audience insights for Nielsen. "What we do know is that people who have skinny bundles are lower-income than the average, so this is more about household income than viewing behavior." Pay-TV companies need to experiment, for sure, because other consumer behaviors in the Nielsen report suggest traditional TV viewing by those under 35 continues to fall, says Colin Dixon, analyst and founder of nScreenMedia.

4 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Cable Packages, Duh by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 5, Informative

    Given that they force you to buy 8 channels of dreck just to get the one channel you want, it's not surprising. One of the many reasons why I cut the cord.

    Lets see the utter pile of shit there is available:

    Some 50 shows where sassy women sit around and yap and fight with each other.

    Another bunch where people sing more or less the same music to win prizes.

    Stupid dancing programs where professional athletes always win over some star or presidential candidates tramp daughter because they're professional athletes.

    Shows where yuppies pretend to be rednecks and encourage pedophilia

    Shows where superior people pop dozens of larvae out of a clown car vagina, and stand up for one of them being a pedophile.

    Strange shows with really weid looking guys with weird looking hair and stuff, but with wives who are oddly attractive.

    Shows where peope who never met each other sign a contract to marry each other.

    Marriage saving shows for kooks

    Must be a million shows about people in Alaska.

    "Science" shows where humans are stupid, and apparently every advancement in history was made by aliens.

    My better half watches some old reruns and court TV, so I see the ads for the weirdo shows.

    Then there are the commercials Sue this person sue that medicine company, Suee everyone. If you win an annuity in your suit, there's another company that will give you a lump sum if you give tehm the annuity.

    So I'm left with cartoon channel, and The Science channel, and HBO.

    Otherwise, its Youtube science and space/airplane vids. I can't be the only one who watches less than 1% of their crap.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  2. Re:Cable Packages, Duh by swalve · · Score: 5, Informative

    That's kind of their business model. ESPN costs $7 a month (or whatever), and they give you 15 other channels for free along with it. If they didn't give you those channels, ESPN would still cost $7. Same deal with whatever channel you value.

  3. Re:Almost cut the cord by evilviper · · Score: 3, Informative

    If it wasn't for my wife wanting to watch The Bachelor the second it comes on I would have cut the cable a long time ago.

    The Bachelor is on ABC, which is broadcast over-the-are to something like 90% of the US population. Depending on your location, getting it might cost as little as $20. I wrote an in-depth tutorial that really walks you through antenna selection and setup:

    http://evilviper.pipedot.org/j...

    I literally watch 3 channels and most nights not even that. I really can't stomach whats on TV these days

    I've always been that way... That's why my favorite slogan is:

    "PBS: Television for people who hate television"

    You'll do better with an antenna, anyhow. Lots of sub-channels with old TV shows and movies, several of which don't even get carried on most cable systems.

    --
    Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  4. Re:Cable Packages, Duh by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 3, Informative

    It is Not the Cable Companies.
    It's not the cable companies inflating internet only prices to offset the spraying arterial blood loss of cable cutting revenue ? Yeah, no.
    The Content providers demand they take packages or they can't get the few channels they actually want.

    Fuck em.

    Netflix is doing a fantastic job and I STILL pay 7.99 a month. When you don't have sharp eyesight, you can drop the video streaming quality and not really give a crap about it. Or pay 2 bucks more and get it - but ten bucks a month for a la carte and no commercials?

    I'm hooked.

    --
    _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!