Kids’ TV Viewing at Eight-Year High, Nielsen Reports

NEW YORK: American children aged between 2 and 5 are spending more than 32 hours a week in front of a television, while 6- to 11-year-olds are spending about 28 hours a week on average, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.

For the 2 to 5 set, the overall 32 hours includes almost 25 hours watching linear TV, 1.5 hours with DVR recordings, 4.5 hours on DVDs, 45 minutes on VCRs and 1 hour and 12 minutes on game consoles. For the older demo, just over 22 hours are spent with linear TV, one hour is spent using a DVR, 2.5 hours on DVDs, 18 minutes on a VCR and almost 2.5 hours on gaming consoles. 

The research indicates that 97 percent of kids’ viewing is live TV. Meanwhile, 4 percent of the 2-to-5 set and 2.3 percent of the 6 to 11 demo use a DVR on average across the total day. In addition, young kids watch commercials in playback mode more than older kids and adults; 50 percent of commercials are seen in playback mode by kids 2 to 5, dropping to 44 percent for 6 to 11 and 43 percent for kids 12 to 17.