U.S. Hispanics watch TV differently than Non-Hispanics.

Over 26 million Hispanic adults are watching TV in an average week in the U.S. Virtually all Hispanics watch prime time TV (91% of Hispanic males and 93% of Hispanic females). Hispanic females are more likely than Hispanic males to watch morning and daytime hours. Daytime soaps account for twice as much of Hispanic females time spent viewing when compared to non-Hispanic females’ viewing (11% vs. 5%).

According to the Total TV Audience Monitor (T-TAM)’s newly released report, Understanding The Hispanic TV Audience, Hispanic TV viewing habits are different from non-Hispanics’. Hispanic females watch the most TV: 32.4 hours per week on average (compared to 28.6 hours per week among non-Hispanic females). Hispanic males on the other hand watch 4.2 fewer hours of TV than non-Hispanic males (22.3 hours per week compared to 26.5 among non-Hispanic males).

The study also affirms that broadcast television continues to dominate Hispanic viewing to a greater degree than non-Hispanics’, given the lower penetration of cable services among Hispanics. Almost three-quarters (71%) of Hispanics’ TV time is spent watching broadcast networks compared to 58% of non-Hispanic males’, and 62% of non-Hispanic females’ TV time.

The T-TAM study conducted in the Fall of 2005 reports that Hispanic adults are less likely than non-Hispanics to have either the services or equipment to time-shift TV, or watch video on demand. However Hispanics are equally likely to have satellite service (25% vs. 24% of non-Hispanics) and to be paying for premium channels (32% vs. 31%).

Hispanic and non-Hispanic females are equally likely to watch TV in out- of-home (OOH) unmeasured locations (20% and 19%, respectively). Hispanic females watch more TV OOH than Hispanic males — the opposite of their non- Hispanic counterparts. In an average week Hispanic men are 35% less likely to watch any TV in out-of-home (OOH) locations than non-Hispanic men (15% vs. 23%). According to Enrique Carrillo, VP, Latino Life Research & Consulting, “the work demands on Hispanic men preclude them from visiting restaurants, bars and hotels, where TV can be watched.”

For more information at http://www.TotalTVMonitor.com.