New Study Finds 38% Of Respondents View TV With Speaker Sound Off

TVB, the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry, released findings from its 2025 Video Media Devices and Usage Study, a 5,000-plus respondent study conducted by GfK/NIQ. The study attempts to better understand media device usage as it relates to video content, with the hope that its findings will help inform and improve the measurement of TV audiences.

The findings, TVB says, “reveal a complex, multi-device media landscape where TV remains central as consumption mediums are rapidly diversifying. The study underscores the need for measurement systems to evolve to accurately reflect modern viewing behaviors, particularly as more viewers engage with local broadcast TV content through streaming apps.”

Some Key Findings

TV Set: Sound Off

• There is significant viewing of television with the video on and the speaker off with viewers either muting, using earphones, earbuds, hearing aids, or closed captioning. The study found that 38% of respondents were viewing one or more of those ways in the past two months. These viewers could be undercounted with measurement that relies on audio.

• This method of viewing with the TV set sound off is more pronounced among adults 18-34, Hispanic and Black/African Americans.

How Do Households Get Programming?

• Households get video programming/events many different ways, with 77% of households having at least one TV with a linear connection, and 67% of households having at least one TV with a streaming connection to SVOD/AVOD programming.

• Though current big data measurement is more focused on wired cable and wired satellite viewers, those opting to stream linear programming through apps from cable and satellite companies now represent half of households that have at least one TV set connected to cable or satellite. And this trend will continue:
  • 54% of those that have a wired cable connection and 71% of those that have a hardwired satellite connection said they are likely to switch to an app that does not require a cable/box or pendant in the next 6 months.

• 22% of households connect to programming with only a BBO streaming connection. (Meaning they use a streaming device like Roku or smart TV and do not use wired or unwired cable/satellite, over-the-air or vMVPD)

• More than half of households with an OTA set or a vMVPD set have other linear TV connections; focusing on OTA or vMVPD only households (which exclude households with other connections) can undercount OTA or vMVPD viewing.

Topline Sets

• The average number of TV sets per household is 2.8; about half of households have 3 or more sets, 24% have 4+ sets.

• Some of the segments that pose challenges to measure, also have above average number of TV sets (young adults, parents, Hispanics, and Black/African Americans).

• As the number of sets in households increase, the reliance on a single type of connection (e.g., only OTA, vMVPD, wired cable) decreases.

TV Isn’t Going Anywhere, It’s Going Everywhere

• 99% of respondents have a mobile device (smartphone, tablet, or PC) and 95% have a smartphone.

• 76% of households are able to stream linear TV programs and events through a mobile device or PC

• 79% of those that view live TV programming through a provider on a mobile device do so at least once a week, with nearly 70% doing so at least several times per week.

• Hispanic & Black/African Americans capability to stream linear TV programs and events through a mobile device is higher than average (84% for Hispanics and 85% for Black/African Americans compared to 76% for adults 18+).

• Half of households can access a local broadcast TV news app either on their TV or mobile device.

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