Tough economy might be good for broadcast TV

In uncertain times, Americans cling to their TVs. For those putting their dreams for a new home and car on hold, a flat-screen TV seems like a comforting alternative. The share of consumers planning to buy a TV set in the next six months hit an all-time high of 12.2 percent in May. "Households now seem bent on cocooning by staying at home to watch television rather than drive to the local theater and shell out more than $11 to watch a film (and an extra $5 on gas to get there)," Merrill Lynch economist David Rosenberg wrote recently. "Travel plans have sunk to their lowest in 30 years, so what else is there to do but stay home and watch TV?"
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2344305820080624