| medialifemagazine.com Younger viewers
But the opposite is true for kids. During the same time period, kids 2-11 TV usage has increased. Kids' primetime usage is up 3 percent, to 23.7 percent from 23.1 percent at the same point last year. These PUT levels include both broadcast and cable viewing. By contrast, through Oct. 3 adults 18-49 TV usage is down 2 percent in primetime, from 36.77 percent to 36.11 percent, according to Nielsen live-plus-seven-day-DVR-playback numbers. So why is kids' TV usage on the rise while adults' is falling? There are several possibilities, starting with the fact that this has been a rather lackluster new season for the broadcast networks, with ratings for veteran shows down across the board and new shows seeing modest ratings among 18-49s. Thus the decline in 18-49 TV usage numbers may reflect a general malaise toward broadcast TV this season, with no must-see show to draw people in. By contrast, kids' programming on cable still has a lot of must-sees, such as Nickelodeon's "iCarly," Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place" and Cartoon Network's "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," all of which have seen steady numbers compared to last year. It could also be that kids are increasingly watching TV on their own, without their parents. That would be another reason why 18-49s numbers are down and kids are stable. Though a fair number of 18-49s tune in for big kid events like last Saturday's "Scooby Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster" on Cartoon Network, there's really only so much kids programming a parent can take before they have to leave the room to preserve their sanity. Another reason why kids' overall viewing is up is that kids may be using the DVR more. Live-plus-same-day-DVR-playback numbers for the first four weeks of the season show 2-11s' PUT levels slightly down from last year. But when seven-day playback numbers are added in, they should increase, just like the first two weeks of the season. © 2012 Media Life |
