For the week of April 28 - May 4, NBC’s The Office again added to its Live audience by more than 40% to lead all broadcast shows in audience % gain by time-shifting (DVR viewing). Its audience increased by 41.9% over the 6.292 million that watched it Live giving it a Live+7 audience of 8.929 million.
ABC’s Lost was second with an increase of 33.3%. Rounding out the top 10 were Gossip Girl, Supernatural, Grey’s Anatomy, House, Beauty and the Geek, One Tree Hill, Reaper and 30 Rock.
Again, the embattled CW had the most shows in the top 20 with 7. Not many people watch the CW, but plenty of them use their DVRs for it.
Top 20 Most % Time-shifted Broadcast TV Shows:
| Rank | Programs | Network | Persons Live+7 (000s) | Persons Live (000s) | Time-shifted Audience (000s) | % increase from Live to Live+7 |
| 1 | OFFICE | NBC | 8,929 | 6,292 | 2,637 | 41.9% |
| 2 | LOST | ABC | 12,946 | 9,715 | 3,231 | 33.3% |
| 3 | GOSSIP GIRL | CW | 2,939 | 2,214 | 725 | 32.7% |
| 4 | SUPERNATURAL | CW | 3,146 | 2,471 | 675 | 27.3% |
| 5 | GREY’S ANATOMY | ABC | 17,522 | 13,819 | 3,703 | 26.8% |
| 6 | HOUSE | FOX | 16,754 | 13,232 | 3,522 | 26.6% |
| 7 | BEAUTY AND THE GEEK | CW | 1,891 | 1,500 | 391 | 26.1% |
| 8 | ONE TREE HILL | CW | 2,986 | 2,369 | 617 | 26.0% |
| 9 | REAPER | CW | 2,991 | 2,380 | 611 | 25.7% |
| 10 | 30 ROCK | NBC | 5,932 | 4,779 | 1,153 | 24.1% |
| 11 | AMERICA’S TOP MODEL | CW | 4,680 | 3,784 | 896 | 23.7% |
| 12 | SMALLVILLE | CW | 4,294 | 3,478 | 816 | 23.5% |
| 13 | BONES | FOX | 10,905 | 8,906 | 1,999 | 22.4% |
| 14 | SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA | CBS | 13,214 | 10,920 | 2,294 | 21.0% |
| 15 | MEDIUM | NBC | 10,788 | 9,008 | 1,780 | 19.8% |
| 16 | MY NAME IS EARL | NBC | 7,229 | 6,050 | 1,179 | 19.5% |
| 17 | HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER | CBS | 9,710 | 8,146 | 1,564 | 19.2% |
| 18 | CRIMINAL MINDS | CBS | 14,384 | 12,214 | 2,170 | 17.8% |
| 19 | BROTHERS & SISTERS | ABC | 11,462 | 9,739 | 1,723 | 17.7% |
| 20 | TWO AND A HALF MEN | CBS | 14,052 | 11,940 | 2,112 | 17.7% |
I ashamed to admit it took me this long to note the over representation of sitcoms in the % DVR top 20. With 6 of the 20, they’re much better represented than their population in the broadcast schedules in general. Perhaps laughs are better enjoyed on your own schedule.
The % Time-shifting table ranks which of the Top 150 broadcast shows [by Live+7 viewers] had the largest % increase in viewing between Live audience and Live+7 audience numbers from viewers watching shows later on their digital video recorders (DVRs).
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
No, Gabriela, that was LIVE+SD, which are the numbers typically reported overnight and on a weekly basis. Nobody ever reports the pure LIVE number usually…except us, in these tables.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Oww Ok now I got it…thanks, well I am glad they passed the 4 million barrier.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
These DVR numbers just keep getting larger. I wonder if The Office will be the first show to have an 50% DVR rate?
May 19th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I'm glad to see that Supernatural still has more viewers than Gossip Girl with timeshifting. As it should be! I am also glad to see Bones on here. I've always enjoyed watching the show, but I think this season (even though it was short) it has become one of my favorites. It's got really consistent storytelling (perhaps because the showrunner is a fiction author first, and a producer second?) .
May 20th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I'm not surprised so many shows like Office, Supernatural and Reaper are DVRed. After all, their primary audiences are likely to have young children who will be doing homework and getting ready for bed at the same time these shows are on. I know my 8 year old definitely isn't allowed to watch Supernatural on Thursdays, so DVR is my only option. I'm glad networks are starting to take these numbers into account.