If you want to take aim at a big target for your message, television is the answer. Television is one of the top sources of news and information in the country, outpacing the internet, radio, and newspapers. According to a 2023 study by Nielsen, traditional television programming still outweighs time spent watching streamable content with broadcast and cable accounting for more than 50% of TV usage throughout the year (53.2% in November). Moreover, the study identified that traditional television accounted for 185.1 billion viewers in 2023.

In fact, Americans watch television more than they do just about anything else! As of a 2022 survey, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms that watching TV is the nation’s favorite leisure time activity.

These facts are underlined by research from the company that tracks television viewing. According to a recent Nielsen report, it is almost impossible to find a household that does not watch television. Nielsen found that over 84% of U.S. Households have at least one television set in the home. The study further reveals that the emergence of time-shifted viewing (television content watched after it originally airs) allows audiences to increase the amount of television content they are consuming.

And those television sets are turned on: A lot! Nielsen reports that the average person spends an average of more than 33 hours a week watching television as of 2023.