Digital Home Thoughts: Traditional Broadcast Media Still King

"Despite the growing popularity of online video options, average TV watchers still get most of their TV exposure from switching on the ol' boob tube and watching whatever's available at the moment. DVRs, web video, and even mobile devices are gaining in prominence, according to a new report by the Nielsen-funded Council for Research Excellence (CRE). Still, when it comes to sitting back, turning your brain off, and watching objects move on a screen, traditional TV viewing remains king."

No surprise here, but I think they are missing something. They seem focused on the quantitative rather than the qualitative. By their measures, we probably watch more broadcast TV than most, but for us, broadcast TV is kind of like the radio, it is background. For example, I put Sci-Fi channel on when I get home from work for Star Trek and Stargate episodes, while I do chores, cook dinner, etc. When I actually sit down to watch something without doing background tasks, it tends to be more on-demand media like DVD's, Netflix streaming, or Hulu.