NEW YORK, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of television channels
 that the average U.S. home receives has now reached a record high of 104.2
 TV channels. This and other television trends were released in a report
 from Nielsen that highlights population, television ownership and
 advertising trends in the United States.
     Highlights from this Nielsen study include:
     * In 2006, the average U.S. home received 104.2 channels, an increase of
       almost eight channels since 2005 and a record level.
     * As the number of channels available to a household increases, so does
       the number of channels tuned.  In 2006, the average household tuned to
       15.7, or 15.1% of the 104.2 channels available for at least 10 minutes
       per week.
     * General dramas still dominate the broadcast networks program lineups,
       comprising 50% (67 of 134) of the primetime programs, an increase of
       four programs since last year.
     * The 30-second commercial is still the television advertising standard in
       primetime, accounting for 57% of all commercial units.
 
     Number of Channels Available
     In 2006, the average home received 104.2 channels, an increase of
 almost eight channels since 2005. The percentage of homes receiving 100+
 channels rose from 42% in 2005 to 47% in 2006, with 33% receiving between
 60 and 99 channels, down 4% since 2005. Nielsen found that the average
 television household in the U.S. receives more than 17 broadcast TV
 channels, while 58% of all homes can receive 15 or more, and 36% receive 20
 or more.
     As the number of channels available to a household increased, so did
 the number of channels tuned, although the percentage of available channels
 actually viewed decreased. In 2006, the average household tuned to 15.7 (or
 15.1%) of the 104.2 channels available. This compares to 2000, when the
 average home viewed 22.1% of the available channels (13.6 channels viewed
 out of 61.4 available channels).
     Number of Channels Available in the Average U.S. Home
 
     YEAR                      # of    # of Channels  % of Available
                             Channels      Viewed     Channels Viewed
     2006                     104.2         15.7           15.1%
     2005                      96.4         15.4           16.0%
     2004                      92.6         15.0           16.2%
     2000                      61.4         13.6           22.1%
     1995                      41.1         10.1           24.6%
     1990                      33.2          n/a            n/a
     1985                      18.8          n/a            n/a
 
     Source: Nielsen Media Research, National People Meter Sample
 
     Broadcast Network Programming Trends
     Each year, Nielsen Media Research examines the English language
 broadcast networks' (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, PAX and MNT) schedules to
 profile the number of programs, types of programs (situation comedies,
 dramas, etc.) and hours in each schedule.
     The total number of primetime broadcast programs has decreased slightly
 since last year. The number of news programs has also declined slightly.
 General dramas still dominate the lineups, comprising 50% (67 of 134) of
 the programs, an increase of four programs since last year. The number of
 Live Variety programs has declined since last year, dropping from 15 in
 2005 to 13 in 2006. Situation Comedies have decreased since last year,
 dropping from 35 to 28 total programs.
               Types of Primetime Programs on Broadcast Networks
     Program Type                                   # of Programs
                                                    2006-07 Season
     General Drama                                         67
     Situation Comedy                                      28
     Feature Film                                           3
     News                                                   4
     Other (i.e. sports events, animation, quiz shows)     14
     Variety                                               13
     Suspense Mystery                                       0
     Adventure, Sci Fi, Western                             5
     Source: Nielsen Media Research NOTE: Based on new fall line-ups of
 regularly scheduled programs, 25 minutes or longer. CW and MNT included as
 of '06. Primetime hours: Mon.-Sat. 8-11pm & Sun. 7-11pm
     Trends in Broadcast Network Commercials
     The 30-second commercial is still the television advertising standard
 in primetime, accounting for 57% of all units. The 15-second commercial
 continues to be an important component in advertising. The use of the 15-
 second commercial has decreased in primetime but increased slightly in
 daytime. In 2006, the total number of commercial units decreased in both
 primetime and daytime, dropping 2% in primetime and 2% in daytime. The
 number of commercial minutes aired also decreased in daytime but increased
 in primetime. In primetime, 30-second and 15-second units make up 90% of
 all commercials. Together, 15s and 30s account for 93% of the total daytime
 commercials. Fifteen-second units still account for the largest percentage
 of daytime commercials at 50%.
     Other Relevant TV Facts from the Nielsen Study:
 
     * There are an average of 111.4 million TV homes in the U.S. for the
       2006-07 TV season
     * The average U.S. TV home has 2.5 people and 2.8 television sets
       28% of U.S. TV homes have Digital Cable
     * 64% of homes have wired cable hook-ups (down from 68% in 2000) and 23%
       have satellite or specialized antenna systems to receive television
       signals.
     * 82% of U.S homes have more than one television sets at home
     * 84% of U.S. homes have a DVD player
 
     About The Nielsen Company
     The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with
 leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information,
 media information, business publications, trade shows and the newspaper
 sector. The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is
 active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the
 Netherlands, and New York, USA.
 
 

SOURCE The Nielsen Company