TV ownership expected to decline in the US – economics, platforms and digital blamed

The number of homes in the United States equipped with a television set is expected to decline through 2012; digital transition, economic circumstances and the emergence of multiple viewing platforms are thought to be to blame according to a new study by the Nielsen Company.

The results of this study were released on May 3 by market analyst group The Nielsen Company as part of its "2012 Advance/Preliminary TV Household Universe Estimate (UE)."

The UE, based on the 2010 Census, estimates that the percentage of homes with a TV set will decline from 98.9 percent in 2011 to 96.7 percent in 2012. The last such decline occurred in 1992 when Nielsen used data from the 1990 census; after 1992 TV ownership then experienced a period of growth.

The Nielsen company identifies "digital transition," "economics" and "multiple platforms" as the main reasons behind a declining level of TV penetration.  

The report argues that the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in 2009, which left consumers only able to view digital programs if they purchased a new TV or bought a digital-to-analog converter box, marked the first decline in TV penetration.

This, coupled with the cutbacks consumers were forced to make due to the global economic downturn and the rise of alternative viewing platforms - such as computers and tablets and even mobile devices, is likely to lead to a drop in TV ownership by 2012.

Watching video content online is also a significant source of media consumption in Europe. Market analyst comScore estimates that in 2010 over 12 million smartphone owners in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy watched videos online via their mobile device.
 
The full Nielsen study is available to read via: http://bit.ly/kyQJ8s, data is expected to be revised in August 2011 due to the 2011/12 TV season.