NYT’s Digital Domain has a tight write up on how the TV screen is holding in there against the computer screen and mobile. Advertisers still value the immersive yet passive experience, and audiences are still tuning in.
Consider that the average American household consists of 2.7 persons and contains 2.9 television sets, in front of which we sit for record-setting spells, according to Nielsen figures. In the quarter ended Sept. 30, the typical American watched 142 hours of television monthly, up about five hours from the same quarter the previous year. Internet use averaged more than 27 hours monthly, an increase of an hour and a half, according to Nielsen.
We are so smitten with screens that we often can’t bear to choose one over another: 31 percent of Internet use occurs while we’re in front of a TV set. We are also taking an interest in watching video on our phones: 100 million handsets are video-capable.
The article does not go into the dramatic consumer uptake in video game consoles over the past year, and this is where we think video is really vulnerable. While users multitask and surf while watching television, they are totally immersed in the game experience as they play. In-game advertising is growing fast, but still very small.
