I always have a laptop open when I watch TV ...

In our house, it's been that way since we went wireless.

Simultaneous TV Watching, Web Surfing Is Common

If you never surf the Web while watching TV, you are distinctly in the minority. That's according to new study conducted by Nielsen on behalf of Yahoo, which found that three out of four Americans use the Web and TV simultaneously, and half do so every day. The average multitasker spends over 2.5 hours per week using the Web and TV at the same time, and the total time spent multitasking has surged by 19% over the past year, says Nielsen.

On behalf of Yahoo, Nielsen surveyed 3,417 individuals in total, including 490 folks who are part of the company's "Convergence Panel." Among the convergence-inclined, for 54% of them, the Web draws more of their attention than TV does while multitasking. By contrast, 30% of respondents claim to be able to focus on both media equally, while 16% said their gaze is typically more fixated on TV. Mostly, they are checking email or Facebook.

Story at MediaWeek.

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