Media viewing preferences are much like our individual penchants for food—they vary by region. Some of us love a good Philly Cheesesteak, while others might opt for a Maine lobster. The same is true for how we consume media, and subsequently how much we consume, according to Nielsen’s first Local Watch Report.
In fact, not only does the average time spent viewing per day vary by DMA, but viewers are also consuming content in different ways depending in which DMA they live in.
For example, among the local people-metered (LPM) markets, people 25-54 years old in Pittsburgh watch the most traditional TV at about five and a half hours per day—nearly a half-hour more than the national average for that same age group. In terms of DVR playback, viewers in St. Louis notch nearly an hour of time each day. St. Louis is also the only DMA in the top five for both TV usage and DVR playback.
Over-the-top (OTT) content, which includes broadband-delivered video and audio content without the involvement of a multiple-system operator, still accounts for a small portion of our video viewing, but it is more prevalent in certain DMAs. Two West Coast markets, Seattle and San Francisco, along with Detroit, have the highest OTT usage at eight, seven and seven minutes per day respectively. Seattle and San Francisco also boast the highest Smart TV penetration among the LPMs, and they’ve experienced the highest year-over-year penetration percentage increase.
For more information on trends in the local markets, including device penetration and market comparison, download the full Local Watch Report.
