True Blood is tops for "stickiness", based on a new TV viewing metric being measured by Rentrak, who also does other TV audience measurements. It measures what percentage of each show that viewers watched compared to other shows of similar length during the measurement week and derives an index from that.
Interesting to number geeks like me, indeed. Particularly meaningful for the success of a show or its revenue potential? Probably not so much.
via press release:
Rentrak Reports New Weekly Engagement Metric
-New 'Stickiness' Index Measures Viewer Involvement-
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rentrak Corporation (NASDAQ:RENT) , a leader in multi-screen media measurement serving the entertainment and advertising industries, released the first two-weeks of data from the company's new "Stickiness" Index which will be released each Thursday. The "Stickiness" Index will illuminate which programs have a higher proportion of time spent viewing or are the most "sticky" measuring the viewers that are more likely to stay in front of the screen. Each week, a chart will list the top-25 "stickiest" 30-minute, 60-minute and 120-minute programs based on information derived from Rentrak's partnership with growing AT&T's u-Verse including anonymous viewing information from more than 3.8 million televisions.
The "Stickiness" Index is based on the average percentage of the program viewed, divided by the average percentage viewed for all series of that duration during Monday-Sunday primetime (8pm-11pm) program series roll up air times. Programs with the most engaged viewers will have higher "stickiness" indexes.
Insights gathered from data collected during the week of September 7 through September 13, 2009, showed President Obama's Address to a Joint Session of Congress was one of "stickiest" programs across multiple networks. While Fox News Channel did not deliver the highest rating for the address, viewers watching on Fox News were more likely to view the address in its entirety.
"The correlation of ratings-to-engagement is an integral component in determining how "tuned in" viewers are when they are watching their favorite programs," said Bruce Goerlich, Chief Research Officer, at Rentrak. "Rentrak's large data sets allow for granular and consistent analysis of hundreds of networks, and the Stickiness Index shows the level of program engagement."
[Stickiness Index charts follow]
Week of 09/07/2009 - 09/13/2009:
AT&T
"Stickiness" Rating # of "Stickiness"
Rank Rank Programs Network Telecasts Index
---------- ------- -------- ------- --------- -----
1 41 True Blood HBO 1 164
- -- ---------- --- - ---
2 77 Army Wives LIFE 1 158
- -- ---------- ---- - ---
3 97 Manana es UNIV-B 5 155
para siempre
- -- ------------- ------ - ---
4 128 My Nanny's Secret LMN 1 155
- --- ----------------- --- - ---
5 22 President Obama's FNC 1 153
Address to a Joint
Session of Congress
- -- -------------------- --- - ---
6 196 Citizen Jane HALL 2 152
- --- ------------ ---- - ---
7 63 President Obama's CNN 1 151
Address to a
Joint Session of
Congress
- -- ----------------- --- - ---
8 36 HGTV Design Star HGTV 1 146
- -- ---------------- ---- - ---
9 4 President Obama's ABC 1 141
Address to a Joint
Session of Congress
- - -------------------- --- - ---
10 153 En nombre del amor UNIV-B 5 139
-- --- ------------------ ------ - ---
11 84 Psych USA 1 139
-- -- ----- --- - ---
12 58 Monk USA 1 138
-- -- ---- --- - ---
13 2 President Obama's NBC 1 136
Address to a Joint
Session of Congress
-- - -------------------- --- - ---
14 67 Hotel Ground Zero HST 1 136
-- -- ----------------- --- - ---
15 82 SportsCenter ESPN2 1 135
-- -- ------------ ----- - ---
16 150 The Secret Life ABCFAM 2 135
of the American
Teenager
-- --- ---------------- ------ - ---
17 175 Ghost Hunters SYFY 2 133
-- --- ------------- ---- - ---
18 169 Destination Truth SYFY 1 132
-- --- ----------------- ---- - ---
19 254 Mad Men AMC 1 132
-- --- ------- --- - ---
20 3 America's Got Talent NBC 1 132
-- - -------------------- --- - ---
21 151 Abducted LMN 1 132
-- --- -------- --- - ---
22 197 Lightning Strikes SYFY 1 131
-- --- ----------------- ---- - ---
23 98 Drop Dead Diva LIFE 1 131
-- -- -------------- ---- - ---
24 60 Tyler Perry's TBS 2 131
Meet the Browns
-- -- ---------------- --- - ---
25 80 Ben 10: Alien Force
Vengeance of Vilgax TOON 1 130
-- -- -------------------- ---- - ---
Week of 09/14/2009 - 09/20/2009:
AT&T
"Stickiness" Rating # of "Stickiness"
Rank Rank Programs Network Telecasts Index
----------- -------- -------- ------- --------- -----
1 96 Manana es para UNIV-B 5 162
siempre
- -- -------------- ------ - ---
2 163 Georgia O'Keeffe LIFE 1 152
- --- ---------------- ---- - ---
3 4 America's Got Talent NBC 2 147
- - -------------------- --- - ---
3 248 For the Love HALL 1 144
of Grace
- --- ------------ ---- - ---
5 159 En nombre del amor UNIV-B 5 141
- --- ------------------ ------ - ---
6 82 Psych USA 1 141
- -- ----- --- - ---
7 58 Monk USA 1 140
- -- ---- --- - ---
8 13 Bones FOX 1 139
- -- ----- --- - ---
9 8 The Biggest Loser 8: NBC 1 138
Second Chances
- - ------------------- --- - ---
10 84 UFC Fight Night Live SPKE 1 138
-- -- -------------------- ---- - ---
11 10 Dateline NBC NBC 1 137
-- -- ------------ --- - ---
12 21 Big Brother 11 CBS 1 136
-- -- -------------- --- - ---
13 165 Ghost Hunters SYFY 2 136
-- --- ------------- ---- - ---
14 155 Karla LMN 1 136
-- --- ----- --- - ---
15 179 The Ultimate Fighter SPKE 3 136
-- --- -------------------- ---- - ---
16 263 Viva el sueno! UNIV-B 1 136
-- --- -------------- ------ - ---
17 63 Sons Of Anarchy FX 1 134
-- -- --------------- -- - ---
18 9 Survivor: Samoa CBS 1 134
-- - --------------- --- - ---
19 168 Destination Truth SYFY 1 132
-- --- ----------------- ---- - ---
20 255 Living with the LMN 1 131
Enemy
-- --- --------------- --- - ---
21 103 WWE Smackdown! MyNet 1 130
-- --- -------------- ----- - ---
22 107 The Backyardigans NOG 7 130
-- --- ----------------- --- - ---
23 200 Forbidden Secrets LMN 1 130
-- --- ----------------- --- - ---
24 174 Criminal Minds A&E 6 130
-- --- -------------- --- - ---
25 64 WWE Monday Night Raw USA 1 129
-- -- -------------------- --- - ---
The "Stickiness" Index is the average percentage of the program viewed, divided by the average percentage viewed for all programs of that duration (i.e. 30 min, 60 min, or 120 min). Monday-Sunday primetime (8pm-11pm) programs, series roll up air times. Based on AT&T u-Verse data. Excludes local programming.
About TV Essentials
Rentrak's TV Essentials is a comprehensive suite of research tools that enable customers to analyze anonymous audience viewing of programming and advertising across VOD, DVR, interactive and linear television. Utilizing proprietary technology to process massive amounts of click-stream data, the TV Essentials system is able to aggregate and report second-by-second information from millions of digital set-top boxes. The system can isolate individual market, network, series, or telecast performance, administer national and local estimates, and provide an evaluation of influencing factors such as psychographics and demographics.
About Rentrak Corporation
Rentrak Corporation is an industry-advancing media measurement and research company, serving the most recognizable names in the entertainment industry. Reaching across numerous platforms including box office, home entertainment, on-demand and linear television, broadband and mobile, Rentrak provides unique and actionable insight for our clients and partners. From the introduction of our revolutionary Pay-Per-Transaction® distribution and revenue-sharing system, which equipped Rentrak with the intelligence and ability to deal with large, complex data streams, to the company's exclusive Essentials(TM) suite of services, Rentrak has redefined digital audience measurement. Rentrak is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with additional offices in Los Angeles, New York City and Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale. For more information on any of Rentrak's services, please visit www.rentrak.com.
Cool…we True Blood fans love our show.
I thought “stickiness index” was the measure of sticky fingers after the show
A hit show on a channel without ads is the ‘stickiest’, there’s a surprise.
Adam: That’s certainly true of TB.
Damn, I was sure this was going to have to do with the amount of blood spilled during each program (‘cos, y’know, I think TRUE BLOOD would still come out on top!).
True Blood fans, like me and a few others above, love the show!
Love the show!
Robert, you say this probably has little to do with the ultimate success of a show, but couldn’t something like this push things that are on the fence for renewal or cancellation into the renewal category (or cancellation category), if this tells the networks what shows get people to stick around?
Isn’t this measurement kind of showing us what shows grab people’s interest the most? If networks knew that, wouldn’t it tell them something like “this show is sticky. With a little more advertising, it could really take off”
Jeff, I wrote the post not Robert. Anything could conceivably tip a show on the bubble, but I just don’t see how this metric helps in selling advertising for the show, which is all that really matters. That is, what does it mean more than actually knowing the number of demo group eyes watching the show?
Indeed, I did not write the post, but the question I have is whether ad buyers can be convinced there is meaning in the numbers.
In the absence of spot-by-spot commercial viewing (Nielsen only publishes average commercial viewing) I could see these numbers at least being useful in sales pitches
YAY, I know I’m a Sticky Fan, How could you not be, the show flows sooo well, I feel myself sinking into the TV everytime I watch, its like Im completely cut off from the world, and me and my True Blood moments are the best Ive ever shared with a TV show. It goes by really quick you’d never think it were 50mins long…its the most amazing show Ive ever seen Love love love it!!!!
Any one know when the Heynielsen.com site comes back, they’ve been gone for a year now and Im just thinking thats a bit too long…what could they possibly be doing to the site that would be taking sooo long?
Sure, True Blood is stickiest in the first chart, but doesn’t even feature the following week. America’s Got Talent, Psych and Monk look like the only shows to make the top 25 in both weeks.
I guess “stickiness” still depends on how compelling the specific episode is each week and what is on opposite it – just as is the case with any other measure of program success.
Is this similar to “sticky” magazines? Like, “Hey, why are these Playboys sticky?”
TVaddict, the first chart has the TB finale. The reason TB isn’t on the next week chart is because the season was over and there wasn’t an episode.
Bill,
I sincerely apologize for the mistake, calling the article Robert’s, I was not paying close enough attention. Not a mistake I’ll make again.
That does make sense that it wouldn’t sell advertisers, I was just imagining a room where one executive is pitching to his boss and uses this measurement as part of the argument – but maybe it just wouldn’t be taken seriously as a measurement that’s important.
What I’m curious about is if there are new measurements beginning, what will are we going to see next? Because it might be possible to do a spot by spot commercial viewing measurement, and that would really change some things. Is that something the advertisers would want, but the networks would really not want? Or would both be interested in those numbers.