Nielsen finds strong TV-Internet usage overlap

Nearly a third of all household Internet activity in North America takes place while the user watches television, suggesting new and old media often share rather than compete for attention, the Nielsen Company said in a report on Friday. In fact, the study found that heavy Internet users are among the most dedicated of TV viewers, spending more than 250 hours a day in front of the tube, compared with the 220 hours of television watched by people who never go online. The findings would appear to be good news for broadcasters who worry the Internet is siphoning away viewers, and with them advertising dollars. It also helps explain the apparent paradox between rising TV viewership overall and the growing popularity of new media.