Every August, Nielsen puts out their latest TV household estimates. These numbers are used to calculate the ratings for TV programs. For the upcoming 2016-2017 TV season, the number of US TV homes stands at 118.4MM. This is a 1.6% increase from the 2015-2016 season, which was flat compared to the prior year.
This new number represents 96.0% of total U.S. homes with televisions receiving traditional TV signals via broadcast, cable, DBS or Telco, or having a broadband Internet connection. It’s a 0.8% increase from last years’ 95.2% penetration rate, which again, was down from the year prior.
The number of people 2+ in US TV homes rose above 300MM for the first time. It’s a 1.6% increase over the 296.8MM people calculated last year.