CW Sees Largest Overall % Increase
Through the first 9 weeks of the fall season, the top 6 broadcast networks had their Live primetime audiences increase by 9.2% compared to their Live+7 audiences via DVR playback/timeshifted viewing.
Overall, the CW benefited most with an increase in overall viewers of 12.3% from its Live audience. ABC, NBC and CBS had similar overall increases in total viewing of approximately 10%, however CBS gained a bit more DVR viewing from the youth age demos (18-34 & 18-49) than ABC or NBC. Fox had somewhat less increases from DVR viewing overall (7.7%) perhaps because of its higher level of sports programming. Univision showed almost no increase in overall viewing from DVRs (0.9%).
Season To Date Increase Over Live Viewing By Network:
UPDATE: Just wanted to note that the average increase of 9.2% from Live to Live+7 compares to to an increase this season of about 4.5-5% from Live+SD to Live+7 [for example the week of Nov 19-25] indicating that about half of DVR viewing is done the same day as broadcast and about half of DVR viewing is done between day 1 and day 7.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2007 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
December 10th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Somebody needs to explain to me why this is a good thing. The only network in the chart above that should be bragging is Univision. CW might as well send Christmas cards to all its advertisers that say “11% of the people who watch our network don’t watch your commercials. Happy Holidays!”
December 10th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
The percentage of overall primetime programs viewed via DVR is interesting but does it have much real meaning by itself? Much more interesting (to me) would be the trend line for %DVR viewership against the trendline for overall primetime viewing (including DVR).
I believe the lines on that chart would show the DVR line increasing steadily, but not enough to offset overall viewership decreases. If I worked at a network, that seems like it would be the most meaningful chart and the one that would keep me awake at night.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I didn’t mean to present it in a “this is good or bad” way, more to just show how different network’s viewers were using their DVRs.
But since you asked, I think that for the networks existing ways of doing business it’s a bad thing.
That’s not to say they can’t modify their businesses [i.e. product placement, etc.] to adapt, but I think that the past reliance on the multiple 30 sec ad pod between program segments is in long term decline.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Somebody needs to explain to me why this is a good thing. The only network in the chart above that should be bragging is Univision. CW might as well send Christmas cards to all its advertisers that say “11% of the people who watch our network don't watch your commercials. Happy Holidays!”
December 10th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
The percentage of overall primetime programs viewed via DVR is interesting but does it have much real meaning by itself? Much more interesting (to me) would be the trend line for %DVR viewership against the trendline for overall primetime viewing (including DVR).
I believe the lines on that chart would show the DVR line increasing steadily, but not enough to offset overall viewership decreases. If I worked at a network, that seems like it would be the most meaningful chart and the one that would keep me awake at night.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I didn't mean to present it in a “this is good or bad” way, more to just show how different network's viewers were using their DVRs.
But since you asked, I think that for the networks existing ways of doing business it's a bad thing.
That's not to say they can't modify their businesses [i.e. product placement, etc.] to adapt, but I think that the past reliance on the multiple 30 sec ad pod between program segments is in long term decline.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Nielsen was going to have data on how many people actually watched commercials.
That’s be interesting to take a look at.
Do you know what happened to that study?
December 15th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
We have not seen anything directly about that from Nielsen, and while we do not get regular C+3 commercial rating information, the very first week it came out others in the press had it, and we did our very own study of commercial viewing using that data.
December 15th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Nielsen was going to have data on how many people actually watched commercials.
That's be interesting to take a look at.
Do you know what happened to that study?
December 15th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
We have not seen anything directly about that from Nielsen, and while we do not get regular C+3 commercial rating information, the very first week it came out others in the press had it, and we did our very own study of commercial viewing using that data.