Nearly five per cent of US consumers own a tablet says Nielsen

Latest survey also finds that 70 per cent of tablet owners use their devices while watching TV.

How fast are tablets catching on in the US? Stats revealed today at the PaidContent Mobile conference in New York by Nielsen suggested that 4.8% of US consumers had bought one by the end of Q1 this year.

The company compared that to other devices' penetration in the US in Q1: 8.2% of consumers owned a netbook, 9% owned an e-reader, 13% owned a media player, and 36% owned a smartphone.

Nielsen also claimed that tablet owners watch more video and read books, are happier to see advertising, and are more likely to make a purchase after viewing an ad than owners of the other devices.

One intriguing stat: 70% of US tablet owners use the device while watching TV. That's why broadcasters and producers are so excited about so-called 'second-screen' interaction, whether through social media services like Facebook and Twitter, or through their own apps.