Americans Use Electronic Media 11+ Hours A Day

[Midpack]

I'm sure we're all over the place relative to this chart. Just a single data point - but I watch more time shifted TV than live and I almost never listen to radio any more, not even in my car. I wish the chart was even more current, but the best I could find.

 

[Sojourner]

I watch more time shifted TV than live and I almost never listen to radio any more, not even in my car.

Exactly the same here. Also, I'm way above the average shown on the chart for "Internet on a PC". For me that's easily 3+ hours/day.

 

[DEC-1982]

What is Netflix, does that also fall into the category of live TV? or is that time-shifted TV?

For me, Internet on a PC is the maximum, I am guessing 3 hours. Followed by Netflix, 1 hour. NPR Radio in car 20-30 minutes. Smartphone usage may be 10 minutes. Real live TV is near zero; I can't stand the advertisements. These are just estimates.

I find it hard to believe the average American is watching nearly 5 hours of live TV every day.

 

[Sojourner]

I find it hard to believe the average American is watching nearly 5 hours of live TV every day.

I'm a bit skeptical of that, too. Aren't DVRs standard issue now with pretty much every cable and satellite service? How could the average amount of live TV watching be 5 hours/day, even in 2014?

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Interesting chart. I think the time of smart phone usage might be a little on the low side. When I am out and about, I would almost believe that these things are REQUIRED to sustain life. As for me, I watch about 1.5 hours of TV and am online (tablet or PC) for about 2 hours a day...smart phone usage is minimal. Outside of checking on my Dad everyday (about 10 minutes) I rarely use it for anything else and usually stays plugged in the wall.

 

[Midpack]

I agree it's hard to know what they consider live TV, and what they consider time shifted TV. I'd consider live to be literally that, and anything on a DVR and any subscription streaming service (like Netflix) to be time shifted - but I wasn't able to find more detail.

At least half of my network TV viewing is from our DVR, and I watch YouTube and other "subscription" services as much if not more often than network TV. YMWV

 

[bUU]

As much as DVRs are pretty much standard equipment these days, it is remarkable how much live television many people still do watch. I think there will always be people who will put up with commercials. (Better be... otherwise the system will collapse in on itself.)

 

[easysurfer]

I wonder does this survey include the 2hrs each middle of the night I'm surfing with my smartphone?

 

[bUU]

They know when you've been sleeping. They know when you're awake. They know if you've been bad or good.

 

[H2ODude]

Unless I'm stuck somewhere away from home I don't use smartphone that much. What amazes me is that based on what is being advertised, there is a big market for live streaming TV/video on...smartphones. Really? I cannot imagine spending any time at all looking at the little screen other than read a few emails, maybe watch a u tube video for 30 seconds.

If I'm on the net (similar to others, up to three hours a day) it's going to be on laptop or pc. Have a tablet I hardly use because I find the keyboard unfriendly.

 

[Midpack]

What amazes me is that based on what is being advertised, there is a big market for live streaming TV/video on...smartphones. Really? I cannot imagine spending any time at all looking at the little screen other than read a few emails, maybe watch a u tube video for 30 seconds.

+1. I don't get it either. But with so many people apparently clamoring for unlimited data mobile plans - evidently a lot of people are doing everything, including video streaming, on their phones (and tablets). We use our smartphones a lot, but rarely to watch video, and we've only gone over 1GB in one month over the past 5+ years.

 

[Ronstar]

I'm at 5 or so hours per day live tv. I have the tv on in my workshop when I'm out there. Sometimes all day. I only watch bits and pieces though. At night I'll multitask live or time-shifted tv with internet on iPad for a few hours. Internet on pc maybe 2 hours per week. Very little radio - only when driving. Maybe an hour a day on phone - almost all texting and internet. Don't have a DVD/ blue ray or game console.

 

[ER Eddie]

Just a note, people multitask some of those things, so it's not really 11 hrs/day. For instance, people sometimes fiddle with their smartphones while they're watching TV.

People spend almost 3 hrs a day listening to the radio? Huh.

I spend several hours a day on the internet, so I'm higher than average in that regard. I watch no TV and I'm rarely on my average-intelligence phone, so I'm way below average in those regards, happily (cutting out TV had a huge impact on my day-to-day experience of life). I probably play videogames an hour a day, so I'm above average there. I enjoy electronic media, but it can definitely take over and suck up way too much time.