Despite new technology, TV is still the main medium

TV screens live all around us now, on the walls, on our desks, in our cars, and, increasingly, in our pockets. Individual networks and stations are seeing their ratings decline in the crowded, multiscreen environment. But the bottom line is that home entertainment is thriving. People are watching more, in more places than ever. Don't worry about hand-held gizmos taking over from the set in the living room anytime soon. "The primacy of the TV platform is clear," according to Peter Stern of Time-Warner, in spite of the changing habits of young people on Facebook, YouTube and the rest. Stern reminded a cable convention in Denver recently that 97 percent of viewing is still on TV; the average person consumes 4-5 hours of TV a day, but only 2-6 minutes of online video a day. The average American home has many more TVs than people. Stop chasing "the next shiny object," Stern advised, and give customers what they want to watch on TV.