New released Nielsen data revealed that more than ever before, Americans are receiving video programming via an alternate source, says the Television Bureau of Advertising.

Alternate delivery system (ADS) penetration in the market reached 30.6% last month, up from 29.8% one year earlier, and now represents 33.8% of subscription television customers, another all-time high. Figures came from a TVB analysis of Nielsen Media Research data for Feb. 2011.

This affects advertisers who purchase time with local wired cable systems, whose ability to deliver these commercials is continually eroding. In a few markets, customers who pay for programming are actually viewing content through ADS.

According to TVB President Steve Lanzano, “Local cable commercials are not seen in ADS homes, and so local advertisers need to deduct the ADS percentage of the audience if they are included in the cable systems’ submissions.”

ADS penetration figures for all markets can be found online.