By George Anderson
"Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do."
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnez) on "I Love Lucy"
Just when you thought consumers in the 18 to 34 year-old group were turning away from traditional media such as television, it turns out they're not.
Nielsen Media Research reports that its local-people-meter (LPM) system found a sizeable (AdAge.com calls its "startling") increase in the number of 18 to 34 year-olds watching local television in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Comparing the number of viewers from July 2004 and July 2005, Nielsen found viewership increases of increases between a high of 83 percent in D.C. and Philadelphia and 10 percent in L.A.
Among the research findings' highlighted by Nielsen were:
- The greatest percent increase for viewership by day-part were early weekday mornings (5am-7am), overnight on weekdays (1am-5am) and Saturday (7am- 5pm).
- Many more men were watching television during the daytime than found in previous studies using other tracking methods.
- Primetime viewership was higher.
- Weekend television viewing was up.
Before using the LPM system, Nielsen based its reporting on information obtained from its set meters and consumer diaries. The increase in viewership by 18 to 34 year-olds is consistent with increases seen by the company for earlier studies involving teens using the LPM system.
Moderator's Comment: What does Nielsen's most current local television viewership research mean for retailers and other marketers targeted 18 to 34 year-olds and teenagers? - George Anderson - Moderator
- More Young Adults Tuning Into Local Summer Television - Nielsen Media Research
- Nielsen Reports Startling People-Meter Findings - AdAge.com
- Teens Tune Into Local TV - Nielsen Media Research