Timeshifted Viewing Gains for U.S. Network TV

ALVISO, December 17: Among
users of the TiVo DVR, at least half of the viewership for U.S. network series
premieres this fall was on a timeshifted basis, according to data from the
company's Stop||Watch ratings service.

Of the seven new series
that launched in October on the broadcast networks, six drew at least 50
percent of their TiVo audiences from DVR viewing. For example, 52 percent of
people who tuned in to ABC's Life on Mars had recorded the program for later viewing. NBC's My
Own Worst Enemy and CBS's Eleventh
Hour had 54 percent and 51 percent of
their viewers, respectively, tune in on a timeshifted basis. Other top
timeshifted premieres included Kath & Kim, Crusoe, The
Ex List and Stylista.

TiVo also
revealed that five of the seven premieres had at least 60 percent of their
commercials fast-forwarded.

Todd
Juenger, the VP and general manager for TiVo Audience Research &
Measurement, said, "We would expect to see this level of timeshifting for
an older show with an established fan base, and a new series premiere to get
most of its viewing live. The fact that these new series got upwards of 50
percent of their viewing on a timeshifted basis indicates that viewers are
growing accustomed to recording programs and watching when they
want—thereby increasing a program's total viewership. However,
timeshifting audiences also have the ability to skip commercials, which impacts
the efficacy of the ads and the economics of the program, and can have
long-term effects on how networks evaluate their success going forward."

Among
returning shows, meanwhile, Juenger notes: "Programs like ABC's Grey's
Anatomy and
Desperate Housewives
typically get nearly 75 percent of their viewers on a timeshifted basis.
Additionally, these programs generally see more than 60 percent of timeshifted
viewers fast-forward through their commercials. When you put that together, it
means these shows are losing close to 50 percent of their effective ad
inventory in DVR homes. The economics of original programming with big budgets,
big audiences and big advertising revenue don't work in this environment, and
it only gets worse as DVRs continue to proliferate. I can think of no bigger
issue facing network television and the brands that depend on it."

—By
Mansha Daswani