NYT: Even with increased competition from video games, the Internet, DVD’s and portable devices, the average television viewing time has risen four minutes a day so far this season over the same period last season.
The increase in viewing (from 4 hours and 35 minutes to 4 hours and 39 minutes), measured from Sept. 19 through Dec. 18, represents a 2 percent gain over the same time period in 2004, according to Nielsen Media Research. The full TV season runs from September through May.
Paul Donato, the chief research officer for Nielsen, noted that TV watching was flat for younger people, but up for those 35 and older. “News is driving viewership,” he said.
