I’m sure the fact that the October 23 episode of Dollhouse increased its adults 18-49 ratings 57% from Live+SD to Live+7 will be batted back and forth across the ‘net, but it still only reached a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating (compare that to the 1.1 Live+SD rating for a 2 hour a 1.2 preliminary Live+SD rating for the 9pm hour of a House repeat on 10/30, and the timeslot competition below). Dollhouse fans are on a viewing hiatus, courtesy of Fox wanting to do better on Fridays during the November sweeps, so there will be plenty of time for discussion before there are any more Dollhouse ratings to report.
By comparison, the other shows in the Friday 9pm timeslot that week (October 19-25) had the following Live+7 ratings: Medium (2.5), Ugly Betty (1.6), Dateline NBC (1.8), Smallville (1.4).
Edit: Note that these shows aired regular timeslot repeats that week: CSI, The Mentalist, Vampire Diaries, Supernatural.
Disclaimer: all the numbers we have seen point to a scenario where the additional days of DVR viewing beyond the Live+SD numbers play almost no role in a shows’ fate. In a recent conversation with the head of research for a broadcast network he agreed that perhaps 10% of the viewing beyond the Live+SD period serves to increase the C+3 commercial ratings that are used to price advertising, so it’s not going to save shows with bad Live+SD ratings.
Note that the tables below contain adults 18-49 demo program ratings, not millions of viewers.
To see previous weeks most DVR’d TV Shows lists click here.
Those of you interested in DVR viewing numbers might enjoy:
When Do DVR’d Shows Get Watched? Same Night or After?
Doing My Part To Combat DVR Misinformation
Largest 18-49 Demo Increase From DVR Viewing for Broadcast TV Shows (October 19-25):
| Rank | Programs | Net | 18-49 Live+SD (rating) | 18-49 Live+7 (rating) | Post Airdate 18-49 Ratings Increase | Post Airdate Increase from DVR Viewing | % of All Viewing By DVR Post Airdate |
| 1 | GREY’S ANATOMY | ABC | 5.4 | 6.7 | 1.4 | 25% | 20% |
| 2 | OFFICE | NBC | 4.4 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 29% | 23% |
| 3 | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | CBS | 5.3 | 6.2 | 1.0 | 19% | 16% |
| 4 | PRIVATE PRACTICE | ABC | 3.7 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 26% | 20% |
| 5 | GLEE | FOX | 3.3 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 26% | 21% |
| 6 | FLASHFORWARD | ABC | 3.1 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 27% | 21% |
| 7 | CRIMINAL MINDS | CBS | 3.8 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 21% | 17% |
| 8 | DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES | ABC | 4.7 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 16% | 14% |
| 9 | TWO AND A HALF MEN | CBS | 4.8 | 5.5 | 0.7 | 15% | 13% |
| 10 | MODERN FAMILY | ABC | 3.4 | 4.1 | 0.7 | 20% | 17% |
| 11 | HEROES | NBC | 2.5 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 28% | 22% |
| 12 | 30 ROCK | NBC | 3.3 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 21% | 17% |
| 13 | COUGAR TOWN | ABC | 3.1 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 20% | 17% |
| 14 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 3.9 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 16% | 14% |
| 15 | NCIS | CBS | 4.7 | 5.3 | 0.6 | 13% | 11% |
| 16 | HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER | CBS | 3.4 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 17% | 15% |
| 17 | HOUSE | FOX | 4.5 | 5.1 | 0.6 | 13% | 11% |
| 18 | BROTHERS & SISTERS | ABC | 3.4 | 3.9 | 0.6 | 16% | 14% |
| 19 | LAW AND ORDER:SVU | NBC | 2.8 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 19% | 16% |
| 20 | COMMUNITY | NBC | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 27% | 22% |
| 21 | SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED | FOX | 2.6 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 20% | 17% |
| 22 | CSI: NY | CBS | 3.0 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 17% | 15% |
| 23 | GHOST WHISPERER | CBS | 2.1 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 25% | 20% |
| 24 | NCIS: LOS ANGELES | CBS | 3.9 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 13% | 11% |
| 25 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA | CBS | 4.1 | 4.6 | 0.5 | 12% | 11% |
-
The 18-49 Demo Increase From DVR Viewing ranks which of the top broadcast shows [by Live+7 viewers] had the largest absolute adults 18-49 ratings increase in viewing by DVR in their adults 18-49 Live+7 audience numbers from viewers watching shows after the airdate on their digital video recorders (DVRs).
Largest 18-49 Demo Percentage Increase From DVR Viewing for Broadcast TV Shows (October 19-25):
| Rank | Programs | Net | 18-49 Live+SD (rating) | 18-49 Live+7 (rating) | Post Airdate 18-49 Ratings Increase | Post Airdate Increase from DVR Viewing | % of All Viewing By DVR Post Airdate |
| 1 | DOLLHOUSE | FOX | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 57% | 36% |
| 2 | MELROSE PLACE | CW | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 39% | 28% |
| 3 | 90210 | CW | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 35% | 26% |
| 4 | GOSSIP GIRL | CW | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 34% | 25% |
| 5 | UGLY BETTY | ABC | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 34% | 25% |
| 6 | SMALLVILLE | CW | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 33% | 25% |
| 7 | OFFICE | NBC | 4.4 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 29% | 23% |
| 8 | LAW AND ORDER | NBC | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 28% | 22% |
| 9 | HEROES | NBC | 2.5 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 28% | 22% |
| 10 | COMMUNITY | NBC | 1.9 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 27% | 22% |
| 11 | FLASHFORWARD | ABC | 3.1 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 27% | 21% |
| 12 | GLEE | FOX | 3.3 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 26% | 21% |
| 13 | PRIVATE PRACTICE | ABC | 3.7 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 26% | 20% |
| 14 | GREY’S ANATOMY | ABC | 5.4 | 6.7 | 1.4 | 25% | 20% |
| 15 | GHOST WHISPERER | CBS | 2.1 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 25% | 20% |
| 16 | TIL DEATH | FOX | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 24% | 19% |
| 17 | ONE TREE HILL | CW | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 22% | 18% |
| 18 | NUMB3RS | CBS | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 22% | 18% |
| 19 | CRIMINAL MINDS | CBS | 3.8 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 21% | 17% |
| 20 | 30 ROCK | NBC | 3.3 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 21% | 17% |
| 21 | EASTWICK | ABC | 1.6 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 21% | 17% |
| 22 | AMERICA’S TOP MODEL 7 | CW | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 20% | 17% |
| 23 | MODERN FAMILY | ABC | 3.4 | 4.1 | 0.7 | 20% | 17% |
| 24 | CASTLE | ABC | 2.4 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 20% | 17% |
| 25 | SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED | FOX | 2.6 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 20% | 17% |
-
The 18-49 Demo % Increase From DVR Viewing ranks which of the top broadcast shows [by Live+7 viewers] had the largest percentage adults 18-49 ratings increase in viewing by DVR in their adults 18-49 Live+7 audience numbers from viewers watching shows after the airdate on their digital video recorders (DVRs).
-
Definitions:
DVR (Time-shifted) Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data –Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs. Live+Same Day(Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
DVR Viewers Past Airdate - How many people watched the show on their DVRs within 7 days following the airdate
% of All Viewing By DVR Past Airdate - Of the total viewing of that particular episode, what percentage was done via DVR.
Because of emerging practices in the TV media, and our access to the relevant data, we’re making a pretty fundamental change in the way we present DVR data. Up until the 2009-2010 season, we used the show’s Live program rating or viewership as the base upon which the Live+7 day DVR viewing was added. Now, the press seems to be standardizing around using Live+Same Day DVR viewing as the base for the calculations, plus our access to Live ratings is somewhat erratic and restricted. While there are both positive and negative aspects to basing increases on Live+SD, after discussion, Robert and I decided to make the change.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data:©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
though the 2 hour house averaged a 1.1 across the two hours, it actually had a (rounded) 1.2 live+SD for the 9pm hour.
also note there were a few repeats the week ending 10/25: CSI, The Mentalist, The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
Although I am happy that we at least get to see all 13 episodes this season, I just cant help it but wish CW would pick Dollhouse. it’s performing inline with Smallville on Friday, they could make a great combo …. I know I can dream right!
Last season, Ugly Betty never made the top 25, so at least we know that the fans haven’t completely abandoned it.
Good point, edited in the 9pm number, and added the list of repeat shows.
And House had another 1.2 on Friday at 8pm (final #s). Bones had a 1.2 at 9pm as well, so whatever the DVR #s, the L+SD program adults 18-49 viewing has increased 50% as a result of scrapping Brothers, ‘Til Death and Dollhouse in favor of the repeats.
Do I really want to respond to Ali? Do I really want to point out that with even less network coverage than FOX, Dollhouse’s numbers would drop even further, not stay at their current (abysmal) levels? Do I really want to do that?
Oh wait….
I’m getting a little tired of this… “game” some writers play with percentages, partly because I’m not sure if the term for this is a shell game or not. It’s not the % increase that matters, it’s the overall viewership that matters. And Dollhouse’s 0.5 increase in 18-49 viewers is the exact same it’s always had, even from season one. That amount hasn’t changed it all. The Live + SD ratings have, and they’ve tanked without….
….wait for it….
….TSCC as a lead in….
NOTE:
Not making fun of you two, Robert and Bill. You’ve stated repeatedly the raw numbers are what really matter.
So Ugly Betty went up? Thats great!
Sara, everything* went up!
*Except a handful of sports shows, as is typical.
Doug, last year these reports were very different and measuring overall viewing rather than 18-49 viewing. Due to small numbers those shows with lower overall viewing typically rank well with the meaningless % increase numbers. In terms of absolute increase, even among adults 18-49, UB was 32nd.
I’ll still take it as a win, Robert. I’m a deluded fan-boy, at least for my Betty.
You did have some of these 18-49 charts last year though, correct? I remember checking out the Lost ratings on them.
lol Bill, I know everything went up…it couldnt really go down right? If DVR numbers are good for shows like Ugly Betty and Dollhouse, do they have better chances of staying on the air?
Doug, we did have 18-49 rating Live+7 DVR numbers last season. The difference this year is that I am *only* doing the adults 18-49 numbers.
Sara, we’ve been told the ratings increase between Live+SD and Live+7 program ratings has almost no effect on advertising revenue, and our assumption because of that is it has almost no effect on a show’s future prospects.
Damnit! I got excited there for a second haha
Yay Dollhouse!
Still a very high likelihood that the show will be canceled (just like last year
).
But any good news is good.
In response to your question re: Dollhouse: I would have to say “ho hum.” This will not make a difference in renew/cancel chances.
The picture has me confused. That’s from Belle Chose, but the 23rd appears to be Belonging (which makes sense, Belle Chose was relatively popular for a second season Dollhouse episode.)
So this is good for Eastwick?
Ahh well, it won’t help when ABC decide to cancel the show
squiggleslash, I will take your word for it, I don’t watch the show. If we have any appropriate photo in our database, I rarely search out another one.
Bill, either one from http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/10/23/drinking-the-dollhouse-belonging-kool-aid/31394 or http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/10/24/tv-ratings-dollhouse/31404 should do the job. Or maybe I’m just being picky, it’s just Eliza with the polo stick thing is very specific…
The Office passed Desperate Housewives, Two And A Half Men, NCIS, and House when live+7 is taken into account.
Good enough for #3 scripted of the week!
*sigh* If only a few more of them would watch live.
57% is just insane. Yes, I know building on a small number still makes it small but I can’t even remember another show were almost 60% of the audience watches it after it was aired. Insane!
I know dvr numbers don’t count towards renew/cancel, but it’s always good to see people still watching a show, even if it is delayed. FlashForwards numbers in the live+7 are very good, 3.1 to a 3.9 is a big jump. Maybe if they pair flashforward with V on Tuesdays, it seems the audience is still there but too much to watch on Thursdays.
I know DVR ratings don’t matter when it comes to renewal, so I thought to myself that maybe these rating increases are what’s keeping shows like Dollhouse from being prematurely pulled off the air permanently. Then I remembered that Brothers does a 0% increase and yet it’s still on the air. So I have to ask, what good are these numbers for if they don’t serve a purpose in renewal decisions or prematurely axing a show?
Ghost Whisperer pulling a 2.6 with DVR on par with last season’s overnight numbers, so I guess its former viewers were just simply not watching it live or was GW’s pulling 2.8-3.00 with Live+7 last season?
Yeah, I also like seeing these numbers despite having no bearing for renewal since it shows the reach of a show and the networks or showrunners I guess should try something to make these DVR peeps be compelled to watch their shows live.
Great to see these numbers:
TBBT – 6.2
HIMYM – 4.0
ModFam – 4.1
It’s upsetting to me that Dollhouse is on par with shows like One Tree Hill ratings wise, because the difference in quality of those 2 shows is astounding.
J,
I very much understand what you’re saying but quality and performance are sometimes very different things. It’s the same reason that a favorite movie of mine “The Shawshank Redemption” didn’t do very well at the Box Office but was still nominated for 7 Oscars.
Many moviegoers of that year might have wondered why the Academy would nominate a movie like that instead of one that they were more familiar with and had higher grosses, such as maybe “The Flintstones”, “Time Cop”, “Beverly Hills Cop 3″, “Richie Rich”, or “Mighty Ducks 2″. But the people there were looking at quality, which had little effect on the Box Office grosses for at least some of the films that year.
These ratings give a sample of the popularity among a certain small segment of TV viewers and they are extremely important to whether or not a program will survive, but they absolutely are not synonymous with how “good” a show is or is not.
AO, your analogy about movie box office sales is probably spot-on and that IS NOT based on a small sample. Why interject “a certain small segment of TV viewers”. You might not buy the science of sampling, but with your movie example, even you agree that it is not a sample size issue.
Robert,
Thanks very much for the compliment on my analogy. Sorry to disappoint you with that phrase.
I wrote that bit about “a certain small segment of TV viewers” for three main reasons.
First, the Nielsen samples do seem very small to me and perhaps they still are very representative of the viewership of the shows that they are tracking, but I can’t help hoping that they aren’t. I’ve read about how they’re conducted, but will readily admit that I am very very far from an expert on them. So that dig was most likely influenced by my bias and hope that a greater proportion of people than are accurately tracked do watch the shows that I wish that they would and a lesser proportion watch some of the shows that cause me to fear for the future of the nation. lol.
Second, I’ve read more than a few articles about the people who opt out of the traditional viewing models and instead will watch via a method that is not tracked in these numbers. Perhaps those articles leave me with the impression that those practices are more widespread than they are. That may well be the case, but that impression contributed to that comment as well.
Third, “J” said that they were upset and I was hoping that that comment might help to cheer him or her up a bit. So the intended sentiment was “Nielsen has lots of flaws, try not to let it get you down too much” and I was attempting to lend some moral support.
This was probably a more thorough analysis of my thought processes than you were looking for, but I’m nothing if not thorough.
AO, thanks for the reply. I understand your point and I know ratings don’t equal quality. However I can’t help but feel sad over Dollhouse ratings being so abysmal that One Tree Hill actually outperforms it in Live+SD. No way you look at it, that is very depressing.
What laymen will consider a “too small sampling” is often* scientifically sound. There’s such a thing as “statistical significance”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_significance
which scientifically defines a sample size which is “big enough”. Basically, even a HUGE sampling (even half the population!) will give results that deviate from the facts (i.e. the numbers you’d get by measuring everything) because there’s always a thing called “chance”, and this occurs no matter how “large” the sampling is. The deviation from fact that occurs with a “small” sampling is said to have “NO statistical significance” when it’s smaller than the one that would occur by pure chance. So there’s a mathematically set number for a “small” sampling which works exactly as well as any bigger sampling.
* I say “often” because statistics fraud does happen, but I doubt that’s the case with Nielsen. Advertisers employ analysts to check these things.
I assume these DVR figures do not include viewers who watch the show twice (Live AND recorded)?
I’m NOT one of those who claim that, if only DOLLHOUSE were aired on another night, higher ratings would give it more chance of renewal. Sure ratings would likely be higher. But FOX knows that fewer people watch TV on Fridays and factor this into account. Which is one reason why the show has survived THIS long.
But, the DVR figures suggest that if the show WERE aired on another night when people are more inclined to watch TV, then a good portion of that 57% would watch the show live.
Are DVRs set more on Fridays that other nights? Seems likely but I don’t have any figures to say either way.
Note, neither of these points are meant to be antagonistic, just informative…
@buffywrestling
If the show has an ~50% increase, this means that ~1/3 and not ~2/3 are watching in alternative formats. If you look at the raw numbers, you can see this is the case 0.5/1.3
@hasu & readers
I don’t think anyone on this board has (yet) stated that the sample was *too* small, simply that it was small, and thus previous statements are consistent with what you have said. Even so, there can always be an argument of *too* small depending upon the level of significance you are looking for which, although traditionally assigned to something such as 5%, is an arbitrary measure. Moreover, claims that the sample belongs to a certain segment are valid, i.e., there may be justifiable reason to be worried about biased sampling with insufficient correction. These claims have been lobbied against more “loftier polling” such as presedential elections, etc. I believe Nielsen’s efforts in terms of accuracy are in good faith, but sample size, bias, etc. are all endemic to the act of sampling.
1.3 is really good.. to me. hope fox think the same.. dollhouse rulesssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
one last thought on sampling…
None of the above has anything to say about substantive significance, which is likely to matter more, which is to say that, even if DH’s live numbers were off by .1 (which is >10% off), does that make any difference to the networks or advertisers? In this particular case, I think it’s doubtful.
If Nielsen is such a horribl system that is consistently >50% of in only one direction every time for Dollhouse live ratings, why do we praise their DVD measurements again? I wonder if this “Nielsen only measures two people in the same retirement home and everyone I know watches online anyway, but hey look a 57% DVD increase, that must be the honest truth now” really makes sense to the people spouting it.
It’s just one more case of 157% of rubbish, is still rubbish.
That post was 57% rubbish too.
@The GodfatherSJP
TSCC had nothing to do with DH ratings last season and especially this Season.
TSCC’s supposedly huge fanbase failed to support that show and certainly in it’s apparent permament “Terminated” status would be impossible to effect this season’s ratings.
It still amazes the “stretch” some will attempt in order to keep a cancelled show relevant.
~Lanie~