(27 February 2009 3:15 pm)

MUMBAI: Viewing of video on television, Internet and mobile devices – the three screens – continues to increase and has reached new heights in the US, reports US media research company Nielsen.

In its fourth quarter A2/M2 Three Screen Report, Nielsen stated that an average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month, which is an all-time high.

Meanwhile, Americans, who watch video over the Internet, consume another three hours of online video per month and those who use mobile video watch nearly four hours per month on mobile phones and other devices.

Nielsen also reported that digital video recorded (DVR) and other timeshifted television is watched at double the pace as video online at seven hours, eleven minutes per month. Yet in a potential indicator of how audiences could timeshift in the future, young adults (age 18-24) watch video on the Internet and on a DVR at the same rate - about five hours per month.

Nielsen vice chair Susan Whiting says, “The American fascination with television and other video content is not easing up, as consumers keep turning to TV, Internet and Mobile at record levels."

“Viewers appear to be choosing the best screen available for their video consumption, weighing a variety of factors, including convenience, quality and access. It is clear that TV remains the main vehicle for viewing video, although online and mobile platforms are an increasingly important complement to live home-based television,” Whiting adds.

Other notable facts from the report include:

* Except for the teenage years, viewing of traditional television increases with age; the use of video on the Internet peaks among young adults while viewing mobile video is highest in the teen years.

* Men continue to watch video on mobile phones more than women, and women continue to watch video on the Internet and television more than men.

* The work day continues to be the primetime for Internet video. Weekdays outpace weekends for online video viewing with 65 per cent of online video viewers streaming content between 9 am – 5 pm Monday through Friday, versus 51 per cent of online video viewers logging on between 6 am – 8 pm on weekends.

* Nielsen 4Q08 data shows that mobile video has grown, up to 11 million Americans, an increase of nine per cent versus the previous quarter. Much of this growth can be attributed to increased mobile content and the rise of the mobile web as a viewing option. In addition, the average monthly time spent viewing mobile video among reported mobile video users increased two per cent, from 3:37 to 3:42 between third and fourth quarters.