Netflix hasn’t killed traditional TV yet but it’s certainly giving Americans more to watch. New Nielsen viewing figures show that online video streaming is up 60 percent year-on-year, while traditional TV viewing fell by 4 percent in the same time period.

Americans watched nearly 11 hours of streaming video last month on average

This means that the average American watched nearly 11 hours of streaming video last month (up from seven hours a month a year ago) and more than 141 hours of live television (down from 147 hours a month). However, this pair of figures alone doesn't take into account the full spectrum of media consumption. Nielsen's report notes that video watching on smartphones increased by 14 percent over the same time period, but it doesn't include data about video watched via streaming sticks like the Chromecast or using apps on games consoles.

Traditional TV watching dipped less for viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 (down 3 percent year-on-year) but the report confirms an emerging trend for consumers shunning pay TV subscriptions in favour of online alternatives. Some cable services are fighting back however, with HBO launching an online-only service HBO Go in October this year rather than waiting for cable companies to build web streaming into their traditional packages.