How many hours of TV do you watch per day?

[ExFlyBoy5]

I would say between 1-2 hours a day. Hard to average because I can go several days without turning the thing on (and those tend to be the best days!).

 

[Lsbcal]

Somewhere I read years ago that Americans on average watched an incredible number of hours of TV.

Please include all forms of "TV" like: internet video, streaming, cable, over the air, etc.

 

[Gumby]

When I joined the Navy in 1977, they made me stop watching TV. I never started back up.

 

[OldShooter]

If someone told me that our TV had not been turned on for a year, I would believe them.

 

[easysurfer]

I put down 2 hrs per day. I say somewhere between 2-3. Mostly news unless I watch a sporting event but that's not everyday.

I've cut down on my TV time as that interferes with my daily internet surfing .

 

[Car-Guy]

Depends on the weather, sports seasons and the day of the week. On Sundays I'll watch racing (NASCAR, Indy and F1) and football (but only TB and Dallas games) This past Sunday that was about 9+ hours.... On weekdays when the weather is bad (cold or rainy) I'll watch the business news while the markets are open....When the weather is good, not so much.

 

[Lsbcal]

Of course, there is no right answer here.

We generally turn on the TV only in the evenings when we would nod off just reading a book. The alternative is doing something somewhat active on the internet like maybe a chess game. But if it's too active sleep is disturbed.

 

[W2R]

Zero hour per day, on average. There are too many other amazing things to do in retirement! We do watch Netflix documentaries now and then, but not enough to bring the average up to an hour a day.

 

[Lsbcal]

Zero hour per day, on average. There are too many other amazing things to do in retirement! We do watch Netflix documentaries now and then, but not enough to bring the average up to an hour a day.

So what do you do as it gets to later evening to keep awake and aware?

I guess one could technically say web surfing is more active and does not qualify as "TV". Playing an electronic game (or something like online chess) would not really be "TV" as it requires some action on our part.

 

[aja8888]

Answered two hours, but that time is an average. When baseball season is underway, I'll watch a game or two. Otherwise, it's off.

The TV in our bedroom was bought new three years ago. I turned it on once to see if it worked (it did). It's never been turned on since. It was DW's choice to fill a large hole in the wall length entertainment unit against the far wall.

 

[W2R]

So what do you do as it gets to later evening to keep awake and aware?

I'd love to fall asleep earlier at night! Once I get to sleep, I could sleep forever. But falling asleep easily is one of those wonderful skills that I don't have.

There is so much to do, so much fun to be had, and so many intriguing mysteries. Life is way too short. At night, often I glance at the clock and realize it's almost sunrise. Oops!

For instance, if you enjoy trying to figure out really grisly true crime mysteries, which I do, who REALLY killed the Kennedys? are you absolutely, positively certain beyond a shadow of a doubt? Where is Jimmy Hoffa's body, and how did it get there? From a logical, unbiased, fact based viewpoint, will Ghislaine Maxwell turn out to be guilty or innocent once her trial is done and the evidence weighed by the jury? I have no idea. Defense starts Monday. Oh, and did law enforcement ever figure out who Jack the Ripper was, for sure? I forgot.

I could go on.... Well for example I was completely engrossed with the story of the Baton Rouge serial killer, until he was found and convicted (as you might imagine since I lived in that neighborhood at the time). Most of these topics were best suited to internet or library research, maybe not TV.

 

[freebird5825]

Way too much lately...Winter has arrived in upstate NY. It's just me and "Pups" (my dog) these days, so no human conversation in person is available on a regular basis.
I usually have instrumental music, of many varieties, on all day and then watch a few episodes of retro TV shows at night, or perhaps a movie if there is a light hearted free choice available. I have a Firestick device and the video and the various apps that go with Amazon Prime.
My latest TV show to watch consecutively is Perry Mason. Very retro and enjoyable to watch...

 

[Sue J]

In the evening I may be in the living room "watching" TV but in reality I have dozed off.

I'm intolerant of commercials so I DVR anything I'm interested in and watch the recording. That way I can go back and really watch all the stuff I slept through.

I've never had a TV in the bedroom. But I do love to read in bed.

 

[Midpack]

I'd love to fall asleep earlier at night! Once I get to sleep, I could sleep forever. But falling asleep easily is one of those wonderful skills that I don't have.

There is so much to do, so much fun to be had, and so many intriguing mysteries. Life is way too short. At night, often I glance at the clock and realize it's almost sunrise. Oops!

For instance, if you enjoy trying to figure out really grisly true crime mysteries, which I do, who REALLY killed the Kennedys? are you absolutely, positively certain beyond a shadow of a doubt? Where is Jimmy Hoffa's body, and how did it get there? From a logical, unbiased, fact based viewpoint, will Ghislaine Maxwell turn out to be guilty or innocent once her trial is done and the evidence weighed by the jury? I have no idea. Defense starts Monday. Oh, and did law enforcement ever figure out who Jack the Ripper was, for sure? I forgot.

I could go on.... Well for example I was completely engrossed with the story of the Baton Rouge serial killer, until he was found and convicted (as you might imagine since I lived in that neighborhood at the time). Most of these topics were best suited to internet or library research, maybe not TV.

I thought you were an avid gamer as well?

 

[W2R]

I thought you were an avid gamer as well?

Absolutely! I spend more time playing Animal Crossing on my Nintendo Switch, than I do exploring grisly real life unsolved murders. I just got carried away when writing about the latter, so I decided to quit while I was ahead!

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Years ago, I used to watch a lot of traditional TV. Now we only occasionally watch the nightly news via PVR. If after watching the news, we might see if there are any movies or any games on.
If Youtube and streaming are included, it bumps the hours up a bit. We might catch something on Netflix at night/weekend or stream a game on the laptop. I'll watch highlights, news clips, and various videos on Youtube.

 

[Dtail]

About 3 hours daily, but sometimes not really paying attention to the show.

 

[MC Rider]

Most days zero.
For sure no TV news unless I want to see the latest on some disaster.

 

[JackJester]

I wanted to choose 3, but 4 it is ...averaged across a week. A football game is like 4 hours in itself. Then an hour of news and other sports, and maybe a movie here and there. And then Diners Driveins and Dives or Nat Geo might suck me in. Plus what ever series I might collect on DVR to binge watch. The TV does not turn on until 5PM though unless it is a football weekend, and off no later than 10 ...usually earlier. I often surf the net on the laptop (or read this forum ) while that box is on so not 100% entranced in TV.

 

[Rocket Man]

Winter: probably on 4 hours a day on weekdays and 6 hours a day on weekends.
Summer: maybe 3 hours a day on weekdays and 4 hours a day on weekends.
Do I win the grand prize?

 

[MC Rider]

Does watching Zappa do I Am the Slime from the video on Youtube count?

 

[Cobra9777]

I don't watch any traditional broadcast or cable TV programming, except PBS NewsHour (most days) and the occasional sporting event (once a week or so). But on average, I watch TV another 1 to 2 hours per day on free YouTube.

I currently subscribe to 85 channels, although I only actively follow about half of those. Topics include woodworking, DIY, history, science, geography, linguistics, engineering, sailing, cooking, music, travel, and Spanish language learning.

In addition to following the subs, I get fixated on certain topics that might last for a couple days or a couple months. YouTube is an amazing resource for learning. A few topics I've obsessed about include: the battle of Midway, English history, the physics of sailing, cooking a classic French omelette, black holes, the Picts... I'll stop there before it gets weird.

I answered 2 hours per day. Might be closer to 3. Not sure if free YouTube is what the OP had in mind. But I like watching it on the big screen. So that's what "watching TV" is for me.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

We don't actually own a TV... so I guess zero?

(When I get a strange look about this, I tell people that we are saving up to buy a good one. )

 

[tb001]

I answered two hours, but it’s probably closer to 90min on average. We will watch a show most nights we’re home, so maybe 5 hrs a week. Sometimes we’ll add on a second episode or quick 30min show if it’s early enough.

DH will turn on the news while we’re making dinner, but I don’t watch it, so not counting that. DH’s TV habit puts most to shame. He has the news running in the background pretty much all day. Thankfully he spends most of his day in the office. The noise would be miserable if he wanted to do that in the main area of the house!

 

[grasshopper]

Two hours in the evening streaming NetFlix movies, while eating dinner. No TV reception or cable for us.