Nielsen Sees Contraction In TV Universe

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Nielsen's estimate of the 2012 U.S. TV household universe has dropped by more than a million homes to 114.7 million from 2011, according to just-released figures. That incorporates 2010 census figures and reflects Baby Boomers exiting the 35-49 demo and the increase in diverse populations.

The percentage of homes with a TV also dropped more than 2 percentage points from 98.9% to 96.7%, the first drop since 1990 after Nielsen factored in the 1990 census.

Nielsen says the drop in TV penetration may be reflecting the DTV transition requirement of a set-top for viewing over-the-air signals, the cost of owning a set in a down economy or perhaps cord-cutting of pay TV subscriptions in favor of online or mobile TV viewing rather than over-the-air.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.