A new Nielsen survey says television continues to dominate as the most influential and authoritative medium.

Television continues to dominate the media usage habits of Americans, topping the Internet, magazines, newspapers, and radio on a number of important measures, according to new results of a Nielsen Media Research survey commissioned by TVB.

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The results mirror the findings of both Hearst-Argyle’s Magid study, released earlier this year, and Fox’s Marketing Evolution study, which is now being circulated among agencies.

TVB’s survey—last conducted in 2006—polled 1,246 adults over a three-week period in January 2008.

The survey can be parsed by key age demos as well as by household income, education, and occupation. Honing in on the adults 25-54 demographic, the survey reveals:

* A remarkably high percentage ofthe demo’s total daily media hours (53%) are spent with television (morethan all the other media combined).

* Adults 25-54 continue to spend significantlymore time with television than with other media (222.7 minutes in theprevious 24 hours versus 106.5 minutes for radio, 99.7 minutes for theInternet, 22.1 minutes for newspaper, and 15.1 minutes for magazines).

* Television reaches more adults25-54 each day than any other medium. Of those polled, 90.0% reportedwatching television in the previous 24 hours as opposed to 80.0% forradio, 72.1% for the Internet, 58.9% for newspapers, and 48.3% formagazines.

* Adults 25-54 say televisionadvertising is the most influential (81.4% for television, 6.5% for theInternet, 5.8% for newspaper, 3.9% for radio, and 2.3% for magazines).

* When asked to cite whichmedium’s advertising was the most persuasive, 69.9% named televisionrather than 9.5% for newspapers, 7.5% for radio, 8.1% for magazines, and5.1% for the Internet.

* Asked where they are mostlikely to learn about products or brands they might like to try or buy,55.0% said television, 18.7% said the Internet, 14.6% said magazines, 7.1%said newspapers, and 4.5% said radio.

Turning to news coverage, broadcast television continued to outscore all other mediums on the following measures, among others:

* Significantly more adults namedbroadcast television as their primary news source (39.6% name broadcastTV, 19.0% name cable new networks, 13.1 name the Internet, 11.3% namenewspapers, 11.1% name radio, and 5.7% name public television).

* Broadcast television is adults’first source for local weather, traffic or sports, with 52.7% of adultsciting broadcast TV, over 22.5% for the Internet, 9.9% for cable newsnetworks, 6.4% for radio, 3.8% for newspapers, and 4.8% for public TV.

* When asked to cite which mediumwas the most involved in their community, 57.8% say broadcast television,as opposed to 24.0% for newspapers, 6.6% for radio, 5.4% for cable newsnetworks, 5.1% for public television, and 1.1% for the Internet.

For the first time, the 2008 Media Comparisons Study asked about usage of local broadcast TV station Web sites:

* 38.1% of adults 25-54 said theyhad visited a local broadcast TV station Web site in the past 30 days.

* 37.7% of station Web sitevisitors said they had viewed video content while on the site.

TVB President Chris Rohrs said, “Altogether, the study reinforces the public’s high level of satisfaction with the television medium and its enduring preeminence among all media choices.”

To view the complete study, click here [1].