English-speaking Hispanics more likely to watch TV away from home.

English-speaking Hispanics may be more likely to watch TV away from home than are their Spanish-speaking counterparts, and the difference between the two linguistic but ethnically similar groups may increase with age, according to an analysis of Arbitron data from the Houston TV market, the nation’s tenth largest.

As Arbitron continues to deploy its Portable People Meter (PPMsm) with rollouts scheduled for Philadelphia in January/February 2007 and New York in the fall, researchers have been able to take more and more detailed looks at the information revealed by the 2,200 person PPMsm panel in Houston.

A study of the PPMsm data for the Latin Grammys, broadcast on Univision on November 12, indicates a startling trend. The Latin Grammys, as expected for a major live television event, scored higher than average out-of-home viewership at 18.9 percent for the three, key advertiser-desired demographic groups, adults aged 18 to 34, 18 to 49, and 25 to 54. Typically, Arbitron has recorded an average out-of-home viewing component of about 13 percent.

However, when the difference in language preference is noted, an increasing divergence in out-of-home viewing patterns is seen with the older audience groups more likely watch away from home than the younger.

For example, out-of-home Latin Grammy viewership among Hispanics aged 18 to 34 stands at 19.9 percent for Spanish-speakers and 19.7 percent for English-speakers, a statistical tie. But when the older cohorts are examined, out-of-home viewing diverges sharply. The 18 to 49 age group saw 17.2 percent out-of-home viewing among Spanish-speaking Hispanics while among their English-speaking counterparts the out-of-home viewing percentage is 24.3 percent. The story is similar among the 25 to 54 contingent with 16.9 percent of the Spanish-speakers watching away from home while among the English-speakers the percentage of out-of-home viewing is 22.1 percent.

While Univision offered a live, English translation of the Latin Grammys, few non-Hispanics watched, at least in Houston. According to the Arbitron PPMsm data, barely 1.6 percent of the Latin Grammy audience was non-Hispanic. The Arbitron data may have implications for how programming to Hispanics is created and distributed in the US as the ethnic group increases in size to the point where niche marketing to its various subsets becomes viable.