I don't watch much TV, but don't worry, I do own one. TV ownership levels are going to drop more and more, though, according to Nielsen's latest report on the "TV Household Universe." Nielsen predicts TV ownership in the US will be down going into next year, from nearly 99 percent in 2011 to just 96.7 percent in 2012. Although this initial decline may just be a blip on the screen, Nielsen acknowledges that consumers are expanding to other audio/video devices for content consumption and may not rely on the TV as much as they once did.

According to Nielsen, several factors may have affected the TV ownership numbers. For example, the digital TV transition from analog occurred in the summer of 2009—this is when TV penetration first began to dip, and "the permanence of this trend was acknowledged in 2010 after the number of TV households did not rebound over time."

The weak economy was also cited as a factor in TV ownership declines—starting in the second quarter of 2009—which especially affected lower-income rural homes. And finally, Nielsen says its data demonstrates that consumers are using more platforms to consume video—mostly to supplement one another, though the younger, more urban demographic of consumers are going without paid TV subscriptions altogether. (This group is usually known as the "cord-cutters," which is a different group than those who don't own TVs, but the two have a tendency to overlap.)

"The media marketplace continues to evolve and become more complex. Some consumers are clearly being driven by the economy to make choices on the media devices they purchase," Nielsen senior VP of insights and analysis Pat McDonough said in a statement. "Others are expanding their equipment to add more audio/video devices to their home. Still others may be deferring a TV purchase or replacing their TV with a computer."

Indeed, TV consumers are increasingly watching TV shows and movies on their computers, tablets, and smartphones, even though the boob tube remains the most popular way to watch. We wouldn't be surprised, though, if those who had already cut the cord to their cable or satellite subscriptions were the ones watching the most video on alternate screens. After all, Netflix can stream to practically every device with a display at this point, and services like iTunes, Amazon Instant Streaming, and Hulu Plus help fill out most of the content that the others lack. Who needs a TV or a cable subscription when you have a laptop or an iPad? (Sports fans, that's who.)

At this point, however, the TV ownership decline is based on speculation about what 2012 will bring as a result of Nielsen's analysis of the market combined with the latest 2010 Census data. The firm points out that its TV ownership estimate also dipped in 1992, only to see TV penetration go through "significant growth" after that. It has been 20 years since then, though, and the video consumption landscape has changed significantly. It's possible that Nielsen's predicted dip for 2012 will follow the same patterns as 1992, but we won't know for sure until some more time has passed—or until someone finds a DeLorean and a Mr. Fusion.