DVR viewing

Networks need a longer window to monetize their DVR audiences, but a host of factors including legacy media inertia, billing logistics and irate advertisers are slowing the prospects of doing so. Extending the cutoff from seven to 35 days could mean a significant revenue uptick, a Nielsen study found, 

The Feb. 2 episode of Big Bang posted a 4.8 rating among viewers 18-49 with seven-day DVR playback added in, according to Nielsen, up 1.7 points from its original 3.1 live-plus-same-day DVR rating.

The Jan. 10 episode of the drama posted a 5.0 rating among viewers 18-49 with seven-day DVR playback added in, according to Nielsen. That was up 67% from its original 3.0 live-plus-same-day DVR playback rating.

Two Big Four programs drew as many time-shifted viewers as live viewers, a first for the networks. Another 21 shows were up at least 75% with DVR viewing added in.

During the most recent week both shows more than double their 18-49 ratings with seven-day DVR playback added in.

The midseason premiere of the Fox drama posts a 6.5 rating among 18-49s with DVR playback added in, up 1.7 points from its original rating.

Although pay TV homes are shrinking, TV viewing continues to climb. Live TV viewing rose 7% in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 1,004 hours of TV viewed per household, with time-shifted viewing -—15 days after live airing -— also gaining 7% to 356 hours of TV viewed per household, according to comScore’s TV Essentials.

There are many shows these days that would be comfortable with a 2.0 rating among viewers 18-49 and around 5 million total viewers. For CBS’s hit comedy The Big Bang Theory, that’s just an average week in seven-day DVR viewership.

For a a small number of broadcast shows, there are more viewers watching them on their DVRs than live. And you can expect that number to get bigger as the season goes on. In fact, it’s already increased just six weeks into the season.

Scripted series aren’t seeing much live viewing, but they get a big bump with time-shifting. Wayward Pines, Under the Dome and Whispers see huge gains.

Broadcast shows gained an average of 31% in 18-49s with three-day DVR viewership added in. Some, like How to Get Away with Murder and Gotham, blossomed into bonafide hits.

After missing opportunities to make VOD a mainstream technology, TV networks are embracing it to capture tech-savvy viewers — and make them watch ads

If “DVR Playback” was a show, this fall it would be averaging a 6.8 rating in adults 18-49 from 10 to 11 p.m. — about double the rating of top shows in the hour like The Blacklist, Scandal and Duck Dynasty —  and 14.1 million total viewers.

Fox’s The X Factor, which returned to lower ratings for its third season last week, found some of its lost audience in early DVR playback and looked a bit healthier relative to its competition.

At the HRTS newsmaker luncheon, Kevin Reilly says network executives have not fully realized the impact of the DVR and that he is considering a year-round development process. Fox “will do other things when we get to the upfront this year,” he said.

Adults 18-49 are increasingly likely to watch DVR playback or surf smartphones rather than watch live TV. GfK Custom Research’s David Tice talks about how primetime viewing habits are shifting, what media buyers need to know about the changes and how viewers find out about new shows.

Increased usage is leading the networks to hold off on canceling new shows until time-shifted viewing numbers come in. Some are unexpectedly high.

In taking stock of the first three nights of premiere week, each of the networks on Monday pointed to bumps in viewership reported by Nielsen based on three days of playback. All of last week’s shows — from Monday through Wednesday night — got updated on Monday, and the results in many cases were eye-popping.

Viewers who watch primetime television days later are becoming an essential factor in determining a show’s popularity.

TiVo says research shows that DVR-equipped viewers are watching more recorded TV and TV from over-the-top TV services like Netflix than live TV. Nearly two-thirds of the viewing on Web-connected TiVo units is now delayed television or on-demand video via broadband service.

The first ratings results that include DVR playback during television’s premiere week arrived Monday and in many cases provided some good news for series, especially several new comedies.

Networks see that more people are watching their shows with a lag on DVRs, and feel those numbers should be counted as well. Advertisers are less convinced.

Clearly this is the year of the DVR, as a glance at the season-to-date DVR ratings makes clear. DVRs are now deployed in more Nielsen homes than ever before, 40%, and it looks as though at least two shows, and possibly four, will become the first ever to average more than 3 million total viewers in DVR playback.