The yearly Nielsen data on the American television audience for 2009 shows that 90 percent of Americans subscribe to paid television services either by cable, satellite or other wireless service.
Source: 123RF
This makes cable nearly as ever-present as broadcast networks.
VCRs, which are still in 65 percent of homes, are rapidly disappearing from use, especially with the rise of DVRs. DVD players are in 88 percent of homes, but ownership is not expected to increase as online viewing grows.
On average, a household watches 58 hours and 29 minutes of television every week, which is more than eight hours each day. Interestingly, the number of viewers aged 18 to 49 shrank last year, while the number of 50-year-old and older viewers increased (Aaron Barnhart, "TV-Viewing Report a Real Eye-Opener," The Columbus Dispatch , May 1, 2010).
