Only a year ago I learned a new word, “timeshifting.” It’s the practice of watching a television show at a different time from its actual air time. This is done by recording it, watching it through “on demand” or going to a website to view it.

I quickly realized that much of what I watch is timeshifted. I like watching shows through On Demand because there are almost no commercials. In essence, I buy myself 20 minutes of time. I also watch at other times because it’s more convenient to my schedule. I’m completely addicted to NCIS and NICS: LA but the night the shows air, I’m often not available to watch. So I catch them later.

I love the convenience and I’m not alone. According to a new study from The Nielsen Company, almost 100 million of us are watching timeshifted television. That number is up more than 18 percent from a year ago. 

The research also indicated that the average person watched more than 143 hours of television per month. Fortunately, I can say that my viewing is much less than that. If I watched that much television I don’t know how I would find times for books or blogging (or fitness).

In fact, I’m seriously considering giving up cable. Not only will I save money, but I’ll regain time. And I can still catch my favorite shows – only I’ll watch them timeshifted.