Nielsen: 'Zero TV' Homes Skew Younger, Single

Cost, lack of interest main reasons cited by consumers who don't watch traditional TV

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/11/2013 11:33:39 AM

About 44% of American consumers who don't have pay TV or over-the-air television are under 35, and 81% of the estimated 5 million "zero TV" households in the U.S. have no children, according to Nielsen.

According to the research firm's "Fourth-Quarter 2012 Cross-Platform Report," in the U.S. there were 5.01 million zero TV households in 2013. That's less than 5% of American households, but more than double from 2.01 million in 2007.

Of consumers who don't watch traditional TV, about 75% have a TV and 67% consume video from Internet sources, according to Nielsen. Roughly 48% of them watch TV content through subscription services such as Netflix or Hulu Plus, the research firm estimates.

The main reasons "zero TV" consumers cite for not having pay TV or receiving broadcast TV are cost (36%) and lack of interest (31%). Only 18% of this segment is considering subscribing to TV services, according to Nielsen.

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