The industry has established many notions about media usage which seem rational, but studies show that consumer media usage habits are as surprising as the gadgets that drive their behavior.

Consumers’ media usage is evolving as quickly as the technology driving the change.  Rather than simply moving away from traditional media to new and innovative options, the consumer is adapting their habits to incorporate new technologies into their previous media usage.

“The Rumors of (Media) Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”
Predictions heralding the death of one technology as a new one emerges are usually inaccurate.  Video was predicted to kill radio and, more recently, television.  Teenagers have been characterized as leaving traditional television viewing for online and mobile.  It is assumed that time, screen and place shifting will eliminate or impair an advertisers’ ability to reach viewers.  And the internet lurks in the shadows at all times, poised to take out more than one pillar of traditional media.

In reality, consumers have learned to use all the venues to fit their individual needs.  Research continues to refute the above misconceptions.

The December 2009 Neilsen Cross Media report found that TV viewing has increased by about 20 percent over the last 10 years.  Conventional television is not only gaining viewership, but it remains the mainstay of program consumption.  Viewers continue to watch their television while multi-tasking with laptops, mobile phones, gaming devices and other electronics.

Teens Use More Screens
What about the teen demographic?  Nielsen sources reinforce that TV is the still the main choice for teenage video usage.  Although teens may watch television while they are online or texting, this segment has not migrated to another form of video, in lieu of traditional television.

Teens have merely chosen to engage with more than one screen at a time.  This trend is playing out with the elusive 18-24 consumer demographic, as well.  Even though computer, mobile and video phone usage is up, TV still remains king when viewing programming content.  Consumer time spent viewing Internet and mobile video has not exceeded TV viewing in either segment.

Is the DVR the End Of the :30 Spot?
While the overall amount of time-shifted viewing is up, a recent finding of the Video Consumer Mapping (VCM) study found that the average viewer is exposed to 72 minutes of ads each day. This also dispels the misconception that viewers are skipping ads in their programming.

Online Viewing Not Prevalent
While online viewing is increasing, the recent Nielsen Cross Media report found that it had a small impact on overall TV viewing.  In fact, time-shifted viewership was twice the amount of online video viewing.  According to the VCM, the so-called “free television” on the Internet still only accounts for a very small amount of viewing time — around two minutes a day.

Not More or Less, But Different
While many pundits draw misinformed conclusions about consumer viewing habits, the bottom line is that advertisers need to focus on how different media types are being used simultaneously by consumers to meet their individual needs.  More than ever, a greater understanding of the consumer is critical to assembling the right mix of media that engages and connects with the right audience.

By: Suzie Malloni, National Broadcast Buying Strategist