While screens flicker more than ever in our lives, the surprising truth is that traditional television still commands hours of our days, with the average American adult logging nearly three hours daily—just one fascinating thread in a complex global tapestry of viewing habits revealed by the latest data.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the average American adult spent 2 hours and 47 minutes per day watching traditional TV, down 5% from 2022
- Globally, TV viewing time averaged 3 hours and 11 minutes per day in Q4 2023 among measured markets
- U.S. households watched an average of 7 hours and 4 minutes of TV per day in 2023, a decline of 3.5% year-over-year
- In 2022, 96% of Americans aged 18+ watched TV in the past year
- Women in the U.S. watched 6% more TV than men on average in 2023 (2 hours 52 min vs 2 hours 42 min daily)
- African American viewers in the U.S. averaged 4 hours 15 minutes of TV daily in 2023, 25% above national average
- Drama series captured 22% of total U.S. TV viewing time in 2023
- News programs accounted for 15% of U.S. prime time viewing in Q4 2023
- Sports live events drew 12.4% of total TV audience share in U.S. 2023
- Streaming platforms accounted for 38.7% of total TV viewing time in U.S. Q4 2023
- Traditional cable TV share fell to 47.2% of U.S. TV usage in 2023
- Smart TV devices were used for 22% of TV viewing in U.S. households 2023
- U.S. TV ad revenue reached $66.3 billion in 2023, down 2% from 2022
- Global TV advertising market grew to $198 billion in 2023
- Cable networks generated $55 billion in U.S. ad sales 2023
Traditional TV viewing is declining worldwide as streaming platforms capture more audience time.
Content Preferences and Genres
- Drama series captured 22% of total U.S. TV viewing time in 2023
- News programs accounted for 15% of U.S. prime time viewing in Q4 2023
- Sports live events drew 12.4% of total TV audience share in U.S. 2023
- Reality TV viewing grew 8% YoY to 18% audience share in U.S. 2023
- In the UK, soaps and continuing dramas made up 11% of viewing in 2023
- U.S. scripted comedies held 9.7% of total TV consumption in 2023
- Movies on TV networks comprised 7.2% of U.S. viewing hours in 2023
- Children's programming reached 4.5% of total U.S. TV viewership in 2023
- Talk shows averaged 6% share in U.S. daytime slots 2023
- Game shows captured 3.8% of U.S. TV viewing in 2023
- In Australia, lifestyle and home shows grew to 5% of viewing in 2023
- U.S. true crime content surged 15% in viewership to 4.2% share 2023
- Late-night comedy shows held steady at 2.1% of U.S. viewing 2023
- Documentary series accounted for 3.5% of streaming TV views in U.S. 2023
- Sci-fi and fantasy genres reached 5.8% audience preference in U.S. surveys 2023
- Cooking shows comprised 2.9% of food network peak viewing 2023
- Horror content viewing spiked 20% seasonally to 1.8% share in Oct 2023 U.S.
- U.S. sitcoms averaged 8.2% genre share in 2023
- Entertainment magazines like TMZ held 1.5% U.S. viewing 2023
- In India, news channels captured 12% prime time share 2023
- U.S. home improvement shows grew 10% to 4.1% share 2023
- Wildlife documentaries averaged 2.3% BBC viewing UK 2023
- Courtroom reality TV reached 3.2% U.S. daytime share 2023
- Animation for adults hit 2.7% late-night viewing U.S. 2023
- Travel shows comprised 1.9% of lifestyle genre U.S. 2023
- Superhero content surged 25% to 3.5% streaming share U.S. 2023
- Music performance shows averaged 1.2% primetime U.S. 2023
Content Preferences and Genres Interpretation
In a world on fire, we collectively chose to watch fictional ones instead, as drama led the pack with 22% of our viewing time, proving we’d rather be entertained by scripted crises than fully consumed by the real ones documented in the news.
Demographics and Audience Segments
- In 2022, 96% of Americans aged 18+ watched TV in the past year
- Women in the U.S. watched 6% more TV than men on average in 2023 (2 hours 52 min vs 2 hours 42 min daily)
- African American viewers in the U.S. averaged 4 hours 15 minutes of TV daily in 2023, 25% above national average
- Adults 65+ in the U.S. watched 4 hours 28 minutes of TV per day in 2023, highest demographic
- Gen Z (18-24) TV viewing dropped to 1 hour 19 minutes daily in U.S. 2023
- Hispanic U.S. viewers averaged 3 hours 8 minutes TV daily in 2023
- Rural U.S. households watched 12% more TV than urban ones in 2023 (7 hours 22 min vs 6 hours 35 min)
- Low-income U.S. households (<$25k) averaged 7 hours 45 minutes TV daily in 2023
- Baby Boomers (55-73) comprised 42% of U.S. TV audience share in 2023
- In the UK, viewers over 65 accounted for 32% of total TV viewing minutes in 2023
- U.S. parents with children under 18 watched 18% less TV than non-parents in 2023
- College-educated U.S. adults watched 22% less TV than non-college in 2023 (2h20m vs 3h02m)
- Millennials (25-40) represented 28% of daytime TV viewership in U.S. 2023
- In Canada, women over 50 made up 25% of total TV viewing in 2023
- U.S. men aged 18-34 watched sports content 3x more than women in same group in 2023
- U.S. adults 50-64 watched 3 hours 45 min TV daily 2023
- Asian American U.S. viewers averaged 2 hours 55 min TV daily 2023
- Urban U.S. millennials watched 1 hour 48 min TV vs 2h30m rural 2023
- High-income (>$100k) U.S. households averaged 6 hours 10 min TV daily 2023
- Single-person U.S. households watched 15% more TV than families 2023
- In Germany, seniors 70+ were 28% of TV audience 2023
- U.S. women 25-54 dominated soap opera viewership at 65% share 2023
- Teens 13-17 comprised just 7% of total U.S. TV viewing 2023
- Employed full-time U.S. adults watched 2 hours 15 min TV weekdays 2023
- LGBTQ+ viewers over-indexed 20% on premium cable in U.S. 2023
Demographics and Audience Segments Interpretation
While Americans are largely united by the glowing screen, a closer look reveals that who's watching—and who's holding the remote—paints a telling picture where age is the ultimate channel-surfer, income and education tune out, and parenthood is the ultimate commercial break for free time.
Device and Platform Usage
- Streaming platforms accounted for 38.7% of total TV viewing time in U.S. Q4 2023
- Traditional cable TV share fell to 47.2% of U.S. TV usage in 2023
- Smart TV devices were used for 22% of TV viewing in U.S. households 2023
- Mobile phones captured 14.5% of video viewing among 18-34s in U.S. 2023
- Connected TV (CTV) viewing grew 12% to 19 hours weekly per U.S. household 2023
- Broadcast TV held 29.5% share despite declines in U.S. 2023
- Tablets accounted for 4.2% of total TV consumption in U.S. 2023
- In Europe, 55% of TV viewing was on smart TVs in 2023
- Over-the-air antennas saw 5% uptick in usage for 11% of U.S. homes 2023
- Gaming consoles used for TV streaming rose to 12% of U.S. households 2023
- Desktop computers contributed 2.8% to video viewing in U.S. 2023
- Roku devices powered 28% of CTV hours in U.S. Q4 2023
- Amazon Fire TV held 12% CTV market share for viewing in U.S. 2023
- Linear TV on big screens was 65% of total viewing time U.S. 2023
- Smartphones were primary for 18% of TV viewing among Gen Z U.S. 2023
- Apple TV devices grew to 15% CTV share U.S. 2023
- 72% of U.S. households had streaming devices for TV 2023
- Vizio smart TVs held 10% of platform usage U.S. 2023
- Multi-screen viewing occurred in 52% of TV sessions U.S. 2023
- Samsung TVs dominated 28% of smart TV viewing U.S. 2023
- Projectors used for 3% home TV entertainment 2023 U.S.
- LG webOS powered 14% CTV hours U.S. 2023
- 4K TV penetration reached 65% U.S. households affecting viewing 2023
- Voice assistants initiated 8% of smart TV sessions 2023 U.S.
Device and Platform Usage Interpretation
It seems the television has finally become what we always joked it would be: a complex, multi-screen democracy where the remote control is now a metaphor for our fragmented attention, with streaming platforms as the leading party, traditional cable as the fading establishment, and our phones whispering, "You could be watching this in your pocket instead."
Economic and Industry Impacts
- U.S. TV ad revenue reached $66.3 billion in 2023, down 2% from 2022
- Global TV advertising market grew to $198 billion in 2023
- Cable networks generated $55 billion in U.S. ad sales 2023
- Streaming services ad revenue hit $15 billion in U.S. 2023, up 15%
- Pay TV subscriptions declined by 6.5 million in U.S. to 70.1 million in 2023
- Broadcast station revenue totaled $24.5 billion in U.S. 2023
- CTV ad spend reached $20.7 billion in U.S. 2023, up 22%
- UK TV industry contributed £13.5 billion to economy in 2023
- U.S. local TV stations earned $18.2 billion from political ads in 2023
- Netflix subscriber revenue per user averaged $11.50 monthly in U.S. 2023
- Total U.S. video ad market was $72 billion with TV at 92% share 2023
- Cord-cutting saved U.S. consumers $12 billion annually in 2023
- Global OTT revenue surpassed $100 billion in 2023 driven by TV viewing
- U.S. TV production spending hit $200 billion including streaming 2023
- Sports rights fees for TV totaled $25 billion in U.S. deals 2023
- U.S. multichannel video market revenue $120B including TV 2023
- Disney ad revenue from TV/streaming $8.5B Q4 2023 alone
- Warner Bros Discovery TV ads $10.2B total 2023
- Local TV ad revenue excluding political $16.8B U.S. 2023
- Hulu ad-supported tier drove $3B revenue growth 2023
- Global TV content production market $250B in 2023
- U.S. retransmission consent fees $4.5B for broadcasters 2023
- Paramount Global TV revenue $18.9B 2023
- FAST channels generated $1.2B ad revenue U.S. 2023
Economic and Industry Impacts Interpretation
Traditional television is still writing the checks, but streaming is happily cashing them.
Viewing Habits and Time Spent
- In 2023, the average American adult spent 2 hours and 47 minutes per day watching traditional TV, down 5% from 2022
- Globally, TV viewing time averaged 3 hours and 11 minutes per day in Q4 2023 among measured markets
- U.S. households watched an average of 7 hours and 4 minutes of TV per day in 2023, a decline of 3.5% year-over-year
- During the week, U.S. TV viewing peaks at 8 hours and 46 minutes per household on Sundays in 2023
- Live + same-day TV viewing for adults 18-49 dropped to 1 hour and 51 minutes daily in Q1 2024
- In the UK, average daily TV viewing was 2 hours and 49 minutes in 2023, with a 10% decline over five years
- Indian households averaged 4 hours and 22 minutes of TV viewing per day in 2023, highest globally
- U.S. time-shifted TV viewing accounted for 28.6% of total TV usage in 2023
- Prime time TV viewing (8-11 PM) averaged 1 hour 28 minutes per U.S. household in 2023
- Children aged 2-11 in the U.S. watched 1 hour 42 minutes of TV daily on average in 2023
- U.S. adults 18+ spent 4 hours 39 minutes on video consumption including streaming in Q4 2023
- Evening TV viewing (6 PM-12 AM) comprised 57% of daily U.S. TV consumption in 2023
- Average weekly TV viewing for U.S. adults was 24 hours 12 minutes in 2023
- During NFL season 2023, Sunday TV viewing spiked to 9 hours 15 minutes per household
- U.S. TV viewing on weekdays averaged 6 hours 52 minutes per household in 2023
- In 2023, heavy TV viewers (5+ hours/day) reported 15% higher life satisfaction scores
- U.S. TV viewing during COVID peaked at 8 hours 13 minutes household daily in 2020, now 14% lower
- Weekend binge-watching averaged 3.2 episodes per session U.S. adults 2023
- Morning TV viewing (6-10 AM) was 1 hour 12 minutes per U.S. household 2023
- 55% of U.S. TV viewing occurs between 7-10 PM in 2023
- Brazil averaged 5 hours 8 minutes TV per person daily in 2023
- U.S. second-screen usage during TV reached 68% multitasking rate 2023
- Average TV session length was 45 minutes for U.S. viewers 2023
- Holiday viewing spiked 18% to 8 hours 35 min household Dec 2023 U.S.
- Live TV events like Super Bowl drew 115 million viewers, 30 min avg watch time 2023
Viewing Habits and Time Spent Interpretation
While we're technically spending fewer hours trapped in television's loving glow each year, the sheer volume of data measuring our every viewing twitch proves we remain, collectively, a people utterly devoted to the fine art of staring at rectangles together—just now with more phones in our laps and more options for what to binge.
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