Nielsen Says Number of TV Households Up to 115.9 Million

Posted Aug 27, 2010 by Walt Belcher

Updated Aug 27, 2010 at 09:14 AM

The number of TV households in America has hit a new high, according to Nielsen Media Research. And while there were some changes in the rankings of the top 20 TV markets, the Tampa-St. Petersburg TV market remains at 14th place.

Nielsen adjusts the household numbers each year before the beginning of the TV season. The numbers are used for ratings. At one point, the Tampa St. Petersburg market had climbed to 12th place but it has been surpassed in recent years.

For the 2010-2011 broadcast season, Nielsen estimates the total number of TV households in the U.S. is up to 115.9 million, an increase of one million homes from last year.

Nielsen also estimates an increase of more than two million persons age two and older (P2+) in U.S. TV households, for a total of 294,650,000 people.

Here are the top markets:

Top 20 U.S. TV Markets (2010-11 Season Estimates)

2010-11 Rank   2009-10 Rank Market
1               1                 New York
2               2                 Los Angeles
3               3                 Chicago
4               4                 Philadelphia
5               5                 Dallas-Ft. Worth
6               6                 San Francisco-Oak-San Jose
7               7                 Boston (Manchester)
8               8                 Atlanta
9               9                 Washington, DC (Hagrstwn)
10             10               Houston
11             11               Detroit
12             12               Phoenix (Prescott)
13             13               Seattle-Tacoma
14             14               Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota)
15             15               Minneapolis-St. Paul
16             17               Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
17             16               Denver
18             18               Cleveland-Akron (Canton)
19             19               Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn
20             20               Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto