8 hours and 11 minutes

That is how long Nielsen says the average American watches TV. Here is the full article. Along with Neilsen's claims I think it is also important to look at Digital Middletown Study done by the Center for Media Design at Ball State University. This study looks at concurrent media usage. It basically says people don't just watch TV. They watch TV and use the internet or watch TV and talk on the phone. I think it is very interesting relevant research.