Premiere week (September 21-27) DVR viewing numbers are in and Dollhouse had the largest % increase in both 18-49 rating and average viewership. Will that save the show or is it already too late?
One trend that's immediately obvious this season is that the network PR departments are completely behind the touting of DVR numbers, whether they matter to their bottom line or not!
For those who have followed DVR viewing in the past, there aren't a whole lot of surprises in the the week's numbers. Show's targeted at younger viewers tend to be more viewed by DVR (CW shows, many Fox shows, and some NBC shows). CBS and ABC shows are not DVR viewed in nearly the same % as the competition's. I'll do some more analysis on days and timeslots in the future.
And as has always been the case, shows with big absolute viewership numbers have big absolute DVR viewership numbers.
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 now, 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.
Note that the first two table below contains adults 18-49 demo program ratings, and the other two contain average viewership data.
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 (Sept 21-27):
| Rank | Programs | Net | 18-49 Live+SD (rating) | 18-49 Live+7 (rating) | Post Airdate Increase from DVR Viewing | % of All Viewing By DVR Post Airdate |
| 1 | Smallville | CW | 1.00 | 1.50 | 50% | 33% |
| 2 | DOLLHOUSE | FOX | 1.00 | 1.50 | 50% | 33% |
| 3 | 90210 | CW | 1.00 | 1.40 | 40% | 29% |
| 4 | FRINGE | FOX | 2.30 | 3.20 | 39% | 28% |
| 5 | MELROSE PLACE | CW | 0.80 | 1.10 | 38% | 27% |
| 6 | Gossip Girl | CW | 1.10 | 1.50 | 36% | 27% |
| 7 | Law And Order | NBC | 1.20 | 1.60 | 33% | 25% |
| 8 | HEROES | NBC | 2.80 | 3.70 | 32% | 24% |
| 9 | BONES | FOX | 2.80 | 3.60 | 29% | 22% |
| 10 | THE Mentalist | CBS | 3.60 | 4.60 | 28% | 22% |
| 11 | NUMB3RS | CBS | 1.80 | 2.30 | 28% | 22% |
| 12 | CASTLE | ABC | 2.30 | 2.90 | 26% | 21% |
| 13 | GLEE | FOX | 3.10 | 3.90 | 26% | 21% |
| 14 | OFFICE | NBC | 3.90 | 4.90 | 26% | 20% |
| 15 | COMMUNITY | NBC | 2.80 | 3.50 | 25% | 20% |
| 16 | SUPERNATURAL | CW | 1.20 | 1.50 | 25% | 20% |
| 17 | CSI | CBS | 4.10 | 5.10 | 24% | 20% |
| 18 | Vampire Diaries | CW | 1.70 | 2.10 | 24% | 19% |
| 19 | AMERICA'S Top Model 7 | CW | 1.30 | 1.60 | 23% | 19% |
| 20 | Grey'S ANATOMY | ABC | 6.70 | 8.20 | 22% | 18% |
| 21 | Parks and Recreation | NBC | 1.80 | 2.20 | 22% | 18% |
| 22 | HOUSE | FOX | 6.80 | 8.20 | 21% | 17% |
| 23 | SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED | FOX | 2.50 | 3.00 | 20% | 17% |
| 24 | FLASHFORWARD | ABC | 4.10 | 4.90 | 20% | 16% |
| 25 | How I Met Your Mother | CBS | 3.60 | 4.30 | 19% | 16% |
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The 18-49 Demo Increase From DVR Viewing ranks which of the top broadcast shows [by Live+7 viewers] had the largest % of 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 DVR Audiences for Broadcast TV Shows (Sept 21-27):
| Rank | Programs | Net | Persons Live+SD (000s) | Persons Live+7 (000s) | DVR Viewers Past Airdate (000s) | % of All Viewing By DVR Past Airdate |
| 1 | Grey'S ANATOMY | ABC | 17,061 | 20,029 | 2,968 | 14.8% |
| 2 | Mentalist, THE | CBS | 15,089 | 18,040 | 2,951 | 16.4% |
| 3 | HOUSE | FOX | 17,268 | 20,148 | 2,880 | 14.3% |
| 4 | CSI | CBS | 16,039 | 18,258 | 2,219 | 12.2% |
| 5 | FLASHFORWARD | ABC | 12,502 | 14,469 | 1,967 | 13.6% |
| 6 | FRINGE | FOX | 5,766 | 7,733 | 1,967 | 25.4% |
| 7 | NCIS | CBS | 20,612 | 22,537 | 1,925 | 8.5% |
| 8 | Criminal Minds | CBS | 15,852 | 17,760 | 1,908 | 10.7% |
| 9 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 14,223 | 16,122 | 1,899 | 11.8% |
| 10 | BONES | FOX | 9,150 | 11,016 | 1,866 | 16.9% |
| 11 | Big Bang Theory, THE | CBS | 12,976 | 14,810 | 1,834 | 12.4% |
| 12 | NCIS: LOS ANGELES | CBS | 18,750 | 20,526 | 1,776 | 8.7% |
| 13 | Two and a Half Men | CBS | 13,639 | 15,386 | 1,747 | 11.4% |
| 14 | OFFICE | NBC | 7,479 | 9,182 | 1,703 | 18.5% |
| 15 | Desperate Housewives | ABC | 13,646 | 15,303 | 1,657 | 10.8% |
| 16 | HEROES | NBC | 6,107 | 7,725 | 1,618 | 20.9% |
| 17 | GLEE | FOX | 6,649 | 8,255 | 1,606 | 19.5% |
| 18 | Good Wife, THE | CBS | 13,867 | 15,390 | 1,523 | 9.9% |
| 19 | NUMB3RS | CBS | 8,105 | 9,610 | 1,505 | 15.7% |
| 20 | CASTLE | ABC | 9,269 | 10,747 | 1,478 | 13.8% |
| 21 | CSI: NY | CBS | 15,067 | 16,466 | 1,399 | 8.5% |
| 22 | Law And Order:SVU | NBC | 8,390 | 9,787 | 1,397 | 14.3% |
| 23 | FORGOTTEN, THE | ABC | 9,544 | 10,806 | 1,262 | 11.7% |
| 24 | GHOST WHISPERER | CBS | 8,760 | 9,941 | 1,181 | 11.9% |
| 25 | COMMUNITY | NBC | 5,423 | 6,560 | 1,137 | 17.3% |
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The Largest DVR Audiences ranks which of the top broadcast shows [by Live+7 viewers] had the largest number average viewers by DVR in their Live+7 audience numbers from viewers watching shows after the airdate on their digital video recorders (DVRs).
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Greatest % Of DVR Viewing for Broadcast TV Shows (Sept 21-27):
| Rank | Programs | Net | Persons Live+SD (000s) | Persons Live+7 (000s) | DVR Viewers Past Airdate (000s) | % of All Viewing By DVR Past Airdate |
| 1 | DOLLHOUSE | FOX | 2,503 | 3,417 | 914 | 26.7% |
| 2 | FRINGE | FOX | 5,766 | 7,733 | 1,967 | 25.4% |
| 3 | MELROSE PLACE | CW | 1,438 | 1,902 | 464 | 24.4% |
| 4 | Smallville | CW | 2,576 | 3,389 | 813 | 24.0% |
| 5 | 90210 | CW | 1,995 | 2,617 | 622 | 23.8% |
| 6 | Gossip Girl-MON | CW | 1,979 | 2,581 | 602 | 23.3% |
| 7 | HEROES | NBC | 6,107 | 7,725 | 1,618 | 20.9% |
| 8 | GLEE | FOX | 6,649 | 8,255 | 1,606 | 19.5% |
| 9 | OFFICE | NBC | 7,479 | 9,182 | 1,703 | 18.5% |
| 10 | SUPERNATURAL | CW | 2,664 | 3,270 | 606 | 18.5% |
| 11 | COMMUNITY | NBC | 5,423 | 6,560 | 1,137 | 17.3% |
| 12 | Vampire Diaries | CW | 3,806 | 4,602 | 796 | 17.3% |
| 13 | BONES | FOX | 9,150 | 11,016 | 1,866 | 16.9% |
| 14 | Mentalist, THE | CBS | 15,089 | 18,040 | 2,951 | 16.4% |
| 15 | SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED | FOX | 5,510 | 6,552 | 1,042 | 15.9% |
| 16 | NUMB3RS | CBS | 8,105 | 9,610 | 1,505 | 15.7% |
| 17 | Grey'S ANATOMY | ABC | 17,061 | 20,029 | 2,968 | 14.8% |
| 18 | Parks and Recreation | NBC | 4,090 | 4,799 | 709 | 14.8% |
| 19 | HOUSE | FOX | 17,268 | 20,148 | 2,880 | 14.3% |
| 20 | Law And Order:SVU | NBC | 8,390 | 9,787 | 1,397 | 14.3% |
| 21 | AMERICA'S Top Model 7 | CW | 2,826 | 3,287 | 461 | 14.0% |
| 22 | HELL'S KITCHEN | FOX | 6,778 | 7,877 | 1,099 | 14.0% |
| 23 | BEAUTIFUL LIFE | CW | 1,047 | 1,214 | 167 | 13.8% |
| 24 | Law And Order | NBC | 6,271 | 7,271 | 1,000 | 13.8% |
| 25 | CASTLE | ABC | 9,269 | 10,747 | 1,478 | 13.8% |
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The % of Total viewing by DVR table ranks which of the top broadcast shows [by Live+7 viewers] had the largest % of viewing by DVR in their 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.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data:©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
