U.S. TV consumption: average viewing time 2009-2022, by ethnicity

In 2022, TV consumption in the United States was highest among African Americans, who watched an average of nearly three and half an hours of TV each day. While the viewing time dropped among white, Black, and Hispanic consumers, Asian Americans’ time spent grew from 2021 to 2022 to around two hours per day.

TV and streaming engagement among racial groups

As of mid 2022, The U.S. population still spent most of their time watching TV and streaming content on traditional media, such as cable and broadcast. Roughly 35 percent of their viewing time was allocated to streaming. It was also observed that Hispanics were more likely to use online video platforms than any other ethnic group, with a viewing time share of over 43 percent. By contrast, using streaming services accounted for around one third of the total viewing time among white and Asian consumers.

Traditional TV vs. digital video

The way consumers watch TV shows and movies has changed significantly. A forecast showed that traditional TV consumption among Americans will continue to steadily decline in the upcoming years. Meanwhile, with an increasing number of consumers adopting streaming and social videos, digital video soars, outpacing TV viewing time by the end of 2023.