Amy Watson
Research expert covering news and publishing
TV news in the U.S. - statistics & facts
Television has long been an integral part of Americans’ daily lives. Although once the media center of the family home, TV’s role has changed as new devices entered the market and revolutionized media consumption. TV, however, remains a popular pastime for news and entertainment alike. Data shows that U.S. adults watch close to three hours of TV per day, and the time spent watching among older generations is now higher than a decade earlier. When it comes to news, even despite the boom in online news consumption, TV remains the go-to source of information for many, especially among older generations, who tend to favor network news over other outlets.
A 2023 survey also revealed that the leading offline news source in the U.S. was local television news, ahead of national networks, local radio, and local newspapers. One reason for this could be the hefty number of newspaper closures across the country, which has meant that in some cases, local TV news is all that is available for those seeking to keep up to date with community events and information. A key challenge facing TV news is that adults aged 65 or above proved most likely to use TV as a news source, with the share who do so at more than double that of 18 to 29-year-olds.
Younger consumers tend to prefer social media for news, and a migration away from social networks to television in the future is unlikely for these digital natives. The older demographic continues to drive television news consumption in general, and although both larger cable and network news play a significant role in driving discussion in the United States, viewership is already waning.
Television news may not have gone the way of the printed newspaper, but it is not infallible. Cord-cutting is on the increase and unless TV news providers make a change, their ratings will continue to suffer. In particular, TV news networks must find a way to appeal to younger audiences, an effort which may require a greater focus on disseminating content via social media and streaming services to engage and draw in young millennials and Gen Z viewers.
TV news remains popular, but challenges lie ahead
Although a global study found that online outlets were the preferred source for news consumption in the United States, television news viewership has not been as greatly impacted by the availability of digital news as other traditional outlets. Tied with social media, TV remains the preference for 48 percent of U.S. consumers, whereas print news consumption is substantially lower.A 2023 survey also revealed that the leading offline news source in the U.S. was local television news, ahead of national networks, local radio, and local newspapers. One reason for this could be the hefty number of newspaper closures across the country, which has meant that in some cases, local TV news is all that is available for those seeking to keep up to date with community events and information. A key challenge facing TV news is that adults aged 65 or above proved most likely to use TV as a news source, with the share who do so at more than double that of 18 to 29-year-olds.
Younger consumers tend to prefer social media for news, and a migration away from social networks to television in the future is unlikely for these digital natives. The older demographic continues to drive television news consumption in general, and although both larger cable and network news play a significant role in driving discussion in the United States, viewership is already waning.
Falling viewer numbers: unlikely to recover?
Trustworthy, unbiased, and non-partisan news reporting is of growing importance to news consumers. As such, TV news channels aligning themselves heavily with a political figure or movement may find themselves losing viewers as consumers grow fatigued by news with a certain angle or standpoint. CNN, Fox, and MSNBC are overall less trusted than several other large news networks and all are losing viewers. In 2023, all three networks had around half the average number of primetime viewers than in 2017, with only 2020 as an outlier due to the surge in COVID-19 news consumption.Television news may not have gone the way of the printed newspaper, but it is not infallible. Cord-cutting is on the increase and unless TV news providers make a change, their ratings will continue to suffer. In particular, TV news networks must find a way to appeal to younger audiences, an effort which may require a greater focus on disseminating content via social media and streaming services to engage and draw in young millennials and Gen Z viewers.
