104 channels and nothing on

The typical American home received 104 television channels in 2006, Nielsen Media Research reported recently. That number is up from 61 in 2000. In 1990, the typical number of channels was 33. The number of channels Americans receive at home is growing faster than the desire to actually watch them.

Last year, viewers watched only 15% of the stations available to them for any appreciable length of time, Nielsen said.