teens-tvAs previously reported here and across the blogosphere, the reports of the demise of broadcast TV have been greatly exaggerated.  Time again, US consumers have demonstrated that they prefer to watch broadcast TV when they can.  That doesn’t mean there’s not a place for Hulu, YouTube, and the like, but when given the option most Americans would rather watch their favorite shows on their 42″ plasma.  And who can blame them?

One opinion that is often reported as fact is that teens prefer to watch TV online.  That couldn’t be further from the truth according to the latest study from independent analyst Bruce Leichtman.  According to the study which was summarized on The Live Feed blog, only 8% of teens from the study watch re-purposed TV shows online.  That compares to the 24% and 20% that watch news clips and user-generated video respectively.  So while many people assume that teens are leading the charge for adoption of online TV, it doesn’t appear that they’re yet ready to pick up that flag.

The net of all this is that  Nielsen ratings are probably much more accurate than some shows (yes I’m talking to you Dollhouse) would care to admit.  If the real online TV audience is as small as it appears to be, the argument that “real fans are watching online” becomes much less realistic.

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