U.S. Networks Celebrate DVR Gains

NEW YORK, October 14: Amid the doom and gloom about the
economy, the major U.S. networks received some good news with the release of
Nielsen’s DVR ratings, which reflect higher viewership for a number of series,
particularly those targeting younger viewers, among them Heroes and 90210.

Nielsen released its Live Plus Seven Day research yesterday,
which combines viewership figures for live broadcasts and DVR viewing within a
seven-day period from initial airing.

For NBC, the new Nielsen figures gave its premiere week
ratings a 12-percent bump in the 18-to-49 segment and an 8-percent increase in
total viewers to 9 million. Among the network’s shows to benefit from DVR
viewing was Heroes, which saw its adult
18-49 rating jump by 20 percent. Double-digit gains were also seen for The
Office, ER, Lipstick Jungle, Law & Order: SVU and My Name is Earl. Among the NBC premiere-week shows that added more
than a million total viewers in this transition were Heroes, The Office, ER and Law
& Order: SVU.

CBS said it had more shows that gained a million or more
viewers than any other network. These included CSI: Miami, NCIS,
Without a Trace, The
Mentalist, Criminal Minds and Two and a Half Men. Among adults 18-49, CSI: Miami, NCIS,
The Mentalist and Criminal
Minds all saw their premiere week
deliveries rise by a half a rating point or more. In all, CBS’s premiere week
ratings were up 6 percent in total viewers to 11.9 million.

ABC, too, was up 6 percent in total viewers to 13 million,
while its 18 to 49 rating gained by 8 percent to 4.1/11. The revised ratings
kept ABC as the leading network in premiere week, beating CBS by more than a
million viewers. Grey’s Anatomy was a
key performer for ABC, gaining 2.7 million viewers to 21.2 million. Other shows
to deliver significant gains included Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal and Brothers & Sisters.

At The CW, 90210 was
up 53 percent in 18- to 49-year-olds, adding some 860,000 viewers to the
original 1.6 million. And at FOX, Fringe gained almost 2 million viewers in its 18-to-49 performance.

DVR penetration in the U.S. stands at about 28 percent, up
from 20 percent this time last year.

—By Mansha Daswani