The total number of book titles published annually in North America has approximately quadrupled since television first became available. Retail sales of new titles, as measured in copies, increased rapidly in the early days of television, though the rate of increase has slowed in recent years. Library circulation has been flat or declining in recent years.
The availability of television does not always cause a decline in the annual number of book titles published or in the number of books sold is most strongly supported by the information above.