The numbers are in… drum roll please…
According to Nielsen Media Research, the average American watches 142 hours of TV per month.
Basically, the average couch potato spends roughly six full days in front of the boob tube each month. And that number rises the older you are. According to Nielsen, Americans aged 65 and up watch more than 196 hours per month. That’s more than eight entire days of non-stop TV.
The research group also found that last season the typical home had a television on for eight hours and 18 minutes each day. That’s up an hour per day from just 10 years ago. What’s more, Nielsen’s report doesn’t take into account the people who view TV programs via the Internet. Americans are reportedly also watching more video on the Internet and mobile devices, although Nielsen claims cellphone viewing is mostly a guy thing.
Where do you fit in? Do you watch more or less TV than the average American?
I know one guy, who will likely be watching more TV in the future–former U.S. senator Fred Thompson.
After representing Tennessee as a Republican in the U.S. Senate from 1994 through to 2002, and failing to gain the Republican nomination for President of the United States earlier this year, Thompson has announced that he is planning to make a return to acting.
So, basically he’s going back to his day job since the whole political thing didn’t quite work out the way he had hoped.
Prior to pursuing a career in politics, Thompson starred in movies such as Marie, Days of Thunder and the 1991 remake of Cape Fear. He also made a brief return to acting in 2002 on the hit TV series Law and Order.
A few months ago Thompson tried to gain support to chair the Republican National Committee, but in the end he decided there was more money in TV so it’s bye-bye Washington, hello Hollywood.