By Tom Ryan
America is spending a lot less time in front of the TV as consumers increasingly surf the web and use mobile devices, according to a new survey from IBM.
Of those surveyed, 19 percent reported spending six or more hours per day on the internet, compared to just nine percent who said they spend the same amount of time watching television. Sixty percent said they spent one- to four-hours online per day, compared to about 66 percent who said they spend the same amount of time in front of the TV.
IBM says the internet's emergence as a primary source of home entertainment is having a big impact on the advertising industry.
"Media and entertainment industry players will have to become much better at providing permission-based advertising and related consumer-driven ratings services," said Bill Battino, a managing partner in IBM's Global Business Services unit, in a statement.
 |
| Photo courtesy of IBM |
In the U.S., the largest digital video recorder market, 24 percent of respondents reported owning a digital video recorder in their home and watching at least half their television programming on the DVR instead of live. It said 33 percent reported watching more television now than before they bought the DVR.
On a worldwide basis, 67 percent of respondents indicated that they have watched or want to watch videos on their PC, and an average of 35 percent indicated they've watched or want to watch mobile video.
IBM said consumers are increasingly turning to online destinations like YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, games, or mobile entertainment versus traditional television.
"That doesn't mean TV content is no longer relevant, but it is the end of TV as we know it," Saul Berman, leader of I.B.M.'s Media & Entertainment Strategy and Change practice, told The New York Times. "You will still watch TV, but it may not be associated with an old fashioned TV set, just in the same way you listen to music now more than ever, but not on your phonograph.”
The online questionnaire conducted from mid-April through mid-June generated 885 respondents in the U.S., 559 in the U.K., 338 in Germany, 263 in Australia and 378 in Japan. About 45 percent surveyed were between the ages of 18-34, 25 percent between 35-44, and 30 percent 45 and over. The survey split 64 percent/36 percent female/male.
Discussion Questions: What do you make of Saul Berman's assessment that we're seeing the "the end of TV as we know it" with the growing popularity of the internet and wireless devices? What does this mean for manufacturer and retailer advertising campaigns?