You might think the rising popularity of social networking, cell phones and other new media would be cutting into college students' television time, but a new report finds that TV viewing among young adults 18-24 is actually increasing. Youth Trends, a research company in Ramsey, N.J., found that last spring, students’ average TV watching per week rose from 10.1 to 10.6 hours, compared with fall 2006. It also turns out these students are watching very different shows than their parents. Some of the hottest shows among 18-24s aren’t so hot with total viewers, and vice versa. For example, ABC’s “Lost,” which saw its total viewership average slip by several million last year, was the second-favorite show of the 18-24s surveyed and actually rose in popularity since the last Youth Trends survey in fall 2006. Meanwhile, “American Idol” wasn’t even in the top 10 favorite shows of 18-24s despite finishing No. 1 yet again among total viewers this year. Josh Weil, co-founder and partner at Youth Trends, talks to Media Life about why TV time is rising among 18-24s, why guys watch more TV than girls, and why “Idol” has cooled.

You found that the time youths spend watching TV has risen since last spring. Why is that, and is it a trend you think we'll continue to see?
 
Actually, the reason our two trend analysts give is because of the programming itself. It’s not even a question of them giving up video games or talking on their phones. It speaks to more of the programming resonating with the audiences.

It’s not going up gangbusters, it’s just going up slightly, but it’s still an increase that might be counterintuitive to people’s thinking that young people aren’t watching TV anymore.

You can take a look at the growth in popularity of four or five programs, starting with ABC's “Grey’s Anatomy,” which has done well with this audience. That also bodes well for the “Private Practice” spinoff this fall. That could be a plus for more increased viewing in the fall.

Also, even though overall ratings for “Desperate Housewives” went down this season, they were up among this audience.

And youths are eating less at fast food restaurants and preparing more of their own meals, so the biggest recipient of that trend is Food Network. Females in this segment love Rachael Ray.
 

Interestingly, when you asked them if they thought they were watching television more, less or the same, only 17 percent said more. Why is that?
 
Here’s one of the interesting things about this audience. They make conflicting statements. They’ll say they’re doing it less or the same, but when we go back in and look they’ve actually spent more time doing it but they just don’t realize it.

The other thing to consider is because the increase is just a half hour, they probably can’t really tell. If that was with their phone, maybe they could tell because they can see their bill. So that should be taken with a grain of salt.  

Thirty-six percent said they are spending more time watching television online. How does this impact their TV watching and usage of other media?
 
If anything, it complements it.

The one kind of big curveball with this audience is their DVR ownership. Only 13 percent of 18-24s have a DVR, and even among those who do, only about half use them at least once a week.

Watching TV live is considerably more of a social event for them than it is for you and me. It would be like every Thursday we’ll watch “Grey’s” at so-and-so’s place at 9.

Yet they have no problem streaming shows. They all have broadband connections. And they’re also very comfortable with it. They also have more of a nontraditional schedule, so if they won’t be home or near a TV at certain times, they'll go online to watch a certain show.

Why wasn't "American Idol" listed among their five favorite TV programs?
 
It’s just dwindled, just kind of lost its mojo.

I think when it started to go downhill was when Taylor Hicks won last year. This audience was pro-Katharine McPhee [the runner-up to Hicks], and I think the audience is just getting tired of the show.

But “House” and “24” are two big shows on Fox for this audience.

The other two I’d probably point out is “Entourage” on HBO, which has grown among viewers, and “The Office” on NBC.

Actually, this is the first time NBC has had a top-10 show among this group consistently since “Friends.” So if you want to talk about that extra half hour of TV they’re watching, 99 percent of the cases are due to one those five or six programs – “Grey’s,” “Desperate Housewives,” “House,” “24,” “Entourage” and “The Office.”
 

Among older adults, women watch more TV than men, but among students males reported watching more TV than females. Why the difference?
 
Well, for one thing, guys have more free time. Girls have more activities during the week. That extra time for guys is spent on different types of media, like videogames or TV.

I think they also might not be shopping as much or exercising as much as females. And if you ask how much they study per week, females spend about two hours more per week.

But I also think it’s because females tend to have more packed schedules and are also more likely to have a part-time job. That could be anywhere from five to 15 hours a week. Some 42 percent of females 18-24 have a part-time job, and that compares to just 32 percent of guys.
 

How does youth usage of digital cable on-demand service compare with the general population?
 
The big thing that we’ve seen with the notion of on-demand programming is there was a ramp-up period. If they were living on campus, in the last 18 months those dorms have been upgraded to digital, and lots of campuses have deals with cable companies.

So now that the penetration level is over 50 percent... you’re really starting to see sizable increases in percentage of teens and college kids using it.

The types of programming they watch on demand is somewhat different from the general population. This audience is looking for something that tickles their fancy, maybe a classic episode of “The Sopranos” that’s a year or two old, or maybe a movie where they don’t feel like going out to get the DVD, like “Napoleon Dynamite” or something.

So they’re using it as an escape rather than a pure utility. It’s more about seeing what’s in the library. And is it for free or do I have to pay for it?
 

Are there any major differences between the favorite channels for youth and adult cable viewers?
 
Well I think if you take a look at the general population, USA and TNT are usually one and two. And TBS, that’d be the top three.

For this audience, even taking away MTV, there’s a couple like Comedy Central and E!, which has its first hit with this audience, “Girls Next Door.” There’s this fascination with the whole Playboy-Hugh Hefner thing, and the audience is lapping up E!. And it has nothing to do with “The Simple Life.”

For guys it’s always going to be ESPN and for girls MTV, but Comedy Central is appealing to both. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are huge.

But then the networks vary; for guys it tends to be History and Discovery, for girls Food Network.

HBO is the curveball. “Entourage’s” popularity has remained steady with guys over the past year, but it’s growing among the female audience.