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Television Viewing Hits Record High, Averages Nearly 5 Hours/Day per Person

U.S. television viewing has achieved an all-time high, with the average viewer watching four hours and 49 minutes a day, according to figures from Nielsen. That number includes DVR viewing.

TV viewing is up four minutes a day from last year, and up 20% from 10 years ago, Nielsen says.

American homes have more TV sets and more channels to choose from, as well as access to DVR technology, which has led to the increase in viewing hours, Reuters reports. The average household watched 8 hours and 21 minutes a day, also a record.

The increase in viewing has not had positive impact on network television. In fact, ratings on the broadcast nets have continued to slide. Ratings among adults 25-54 were down about 10% in the third quarter, compared to the same quarter last year, excluding the Olympics which ran in Q308, according to TargetCast. Viewership is fragmented as viewers have more choice than ever - more cable channels, the ability to time shift via DVRs - when choosing what to watch.

As ratings have dropped, so has the average price of a :30 spot, which is down 16%, to about $84,000, in the third quarter, from the same quarter in 2008, TargetCast says.

American children aged 2-11 are also watching more television than they have in years. Nielsen figures show kids aged 2-5 now spend more than 32 hours a week - or more than 4.5 hours a day - in front of the television.

Online video viewing has increased, as well. Total online video streams viewed and online video time per viewer each increased 25% year-over-year in September 2009, per Nielsen; unique viewers and streams per viewer are also up for the month.