Fast Facts: Home Entertainment

*** During the fourth quarter of 2010, the average person in a home with a digital video recorder watched nearly 26 hours of time shifted television per month, a year-over-year increase of 19 minutes, according to a study by The Nielsen Co. (Timeshifted viewing is watching recorded broadcasts at a later time.) The increase is the result of more homes using DVRs, rather than more viewing per home.

Partially as a consequence of higher DVR usage, the average American watched more than 154 hours of television per month in the 4th quarter of 2010, an increase from the previous quarter of 18 minutes. The biggest impact of DVR viewing is felt among 25- to 64-year-old viewers, who watch more than 30 hours a month of DVR playback.

*** Technologies such as high-definition television, digital video recorders and the Internet are creating higher quality and more convenient media experiences for consumers. As a result, the amount of video Americans consume continues to rise, according to the latest edition of The Nielsen Co.’s Three Screen Report. Over the last two years, ownership of HDTVs, DVRs and smartphones have increased at double- and triple-digit rates.

• More than half of US TV households in 2010 have high-definition television, up 189 percent from the first quarter of 2008, and more than one-third now have digital video recorders.

• High-speed broadband Internet access, now in 63.5 percent of homes, has created a better user experience for watching online videos.

• Despite the common perception that viewers of videos on mobile phones are predominantly teens, more than half (55 percent) are adults aged 25-49.

• In the first quarter of 2010, 138 million people watching video on the Internet spent on average 3 hours and 10 minutes doing so per month.

• The 20.3 million people who watch mobile video in the US spend on average 3 hours and 37 minutes each month watching video on a mobile phone.

*** By gender, women watch more live TV than men at every age over 18, as well as more time-shifted programming recorded on a DVR, according to The Nielsen Co. While DVD viewing is more popular among younger women, after age 45, men are slightly more likely to be DVD users. And males of all ages dominate video gaming, especially in the younger years when playtime reaches over four hours a day for those aged 18 to 24.

*** The 2011 Super Bowl was the most watched television program with an estimated 111 million Americans tuning in to watch the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to The Nielsen Co. This beats the 106.5 million who watched the 2010 game between New Orleans and Indianapolis. The third most-watched TV program in the United States? The series finale of “M-A-S-H.” Prior to 2010, it held the title for 27 years.

Before kick-off, 2 million people indicated that they planned to purchase furniture for the 2011 Super Bowl; more than double (4.5 million) planned to purchase television for the big event, according to an annual survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Assn.