via THR:
TiVo said time-shifted ratings among its users spiked 75% during the 10 minutes Letterman confessed his sexual dalliances during his Oct. 1 show. That compares to a lift of only 20% among live viewers.
TiVo's numbers make a couple of points: Some folks who record "Late Night With David Letterman" nightly but don't necessarily watch it consistently made sure to watch that night's recorded version of the show. Also, the fact that CBS, a few hours earlier, had telegraphed what Letterman had in store that night probably prompted lots of TiVo users to record the show.
Users took to their TiVo's in big numbers again on Monday, when Letterman apologized to his staff for making them the center of a media-feeding frenzy. During that three-minute segment, time-shifted viewing jumped 71%, compared with a 22% climb in live viewing.
I’m Tivoing this story for later.
File this under: “It’s hard to look away from a car crash”.