Americans only watch 17 of the hundreds of channels available on cable

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Americans only watch 17 of the hundreds of channels available on cable
(Image credit: Thinkstock)

Despite being bombarded with several hundred television channels, a new survey from Nielsen finds that 17 is the average number of networks Americans end up watching. The number of channels the average home receives increased from 128 in 2008 to 189 in 2013, but despite the influx of viewing options, the average number of channels Americans actually watched remained steady at 17.

The Wall Street Journal notes that we might have reached peak TV. "This data is significant in that it substantiates the notion that more content does not necessarily equate to more channel consumption," the report said.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.