Nielsen Releases Q4 2015 Local Watch Report

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) released its fourth-quarter 2015 Local Watch Report. This latest edition of the report analyzes local TV viewing habits and the degree to which the proliferation of new technologies, such as smartphones, smart TVs, tablets and subscription video on-demand (SVOD), influence different markets. The second part of the report shares insights on young voters and their media usage habits.

Nielsen's Local Watch Report shows that live TV remains the primary medium to consume video. In 24 of the top 25 designated market areas (DMAs), adults 25-54 watch more than three hours of live TV per day. In nine of the top 10 local people meter (LPM) markets, African-Americans watch more than five hours of live TV per day. Among the top 10 Hispanic LPM markets, Hispanics' live TV viewing averages more than three hours per day, with those in Denver and Phoenix tuning for more than four hours.

The report also focuses on young voters and their media usage. Millennials, the highly coveted group of adults 18-34, now constitute 26% of U.S. adults registered to vote in their districts. Understanding their media habits, lifestyles and voting trends is key to capturing their attention. Of the top 25 LPM markets, nine are in battleground states and in six of them, young voters comprise at least 25% of adults registered to vote in their districts. 

"While young voters are heavily connected to new technologies and social media, they are also still heavily engaged with live TV," said Matt O'Grady, executive vice president and managing director, local media, Nielsen. "Local broadcasters have a great opportunity to capture these young voters as 78% watch broadcast TV weekly and 49% typically tune in to local news."

Other insights from the Q4 2015 Local Watch Report include:

• Cleveland remained number one in total TV viewing with five hours and 47 minutes
• Over-the-top (OTT) viewing options grew 2% to 8%, depending on the device, compared to November 2014 (smart TV ownership across the U.S. is at 20%; tablet penetration in the U.S. is at 56%; and smartphone penetration in the U.S. is at 82%)
• Baltimore is the number one LPM market in multimedia usage (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, etc.) with 18 minutes per day
• SVOD reaches nearly half of the U.S. population, and markets like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Dallas experienced gains of up to 15% in one year
• Half of young voters are either independent or do not identify with a political party—29% are Democrats and 21% are Republicans
• Nearly 40% of young voters come from an ethnic background—18% Hispanics, 13% African-Americans and 8% Asian/other

For more information, download the fourth-quarter 2015 Local Watch Report.

About Nielsen

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers watch and buy. Nielsen's Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services for all devices on which content—video, audio and text—is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry's only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen also provides its clients with analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world's population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

SOURCE Nielsen

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