The majority of respondents are aware of the writers ’ strike (79.1%); only 12.0% report not having heard about the situation. If the strike continues and reruns become a fixture of TV schedules, many say they will watch less television (44.0%) or even go to the extreme and turn the television off (15.4%). Only one-quarter of respondents say they will watch the same amount or more television (28.4%). A potential schedule full of reruns has a greater impact on a number of demographic segments – including women 25-44 years, of whom nearly two-thirds (65.0%) say they will watch less television or worse turn the TV off (16.5%).

In the absence of new programming the Internet is an entertainment alternative many will consider. In fact, two-fifths of respondents (39.6%) expect to use the Internet more for entertainment purposes if their favorite TV shows are shown only in reruns.

Online video is also a tempting source of entertainment with one-quarter (25.6%) of respondents saying they will probably watch more online video as the strike continues to impact programming.