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Cable's catching up in DVR playback
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Cable's catching
up in DVR playback
Original scripted shows are seeing impressive gains
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jan 14, 2009
For a long time, the perception has been that cable shows don’t get much of a lift from digital video recorders. Just six months ago, one study found that broadcast networks were seeing double the boost of cable from live to time-shifted viewing.
This may be the season that cable narrows that gap.
An increasing number of scripted cable programs are seeing big gains from DVR playback, the most recent being TNT’s recently introduced drama series “Leverage.”
Through four episodes, the show is up 36 percent among adults 18-49 when live-plus-seven-day DVR viewing is compared to live, from 1.33 million viewers to 1.81 million. That puts it among the top gainers on broadcast or cable, according to Nielsen.
By comparison, “The Office” got the biggest DVR kick for a top-10 broadcast show for the week ended Dec. 14, rising 36 percent, with fellow NBC show “Heroes” at No. 2 with a jump of 34 percent.
“Leverage” has also risen 33 percent among 25-54s, where it’s the No. 1 cable show in its 10 p.m. Tuesday timeslot, going from 1.65 million to 2.19 million viewers.
“Leverage” isn’t the only cable show seeing a big DVR lift, however. Over the past year, other programs have also become popular replays on DVR, and appropriately, no one has more than Sci Fi Channel.
The network, which skews young and attracts a proudly geeky crowd, had three of the six most-timeshifted programs on television during 2008, according to Nielsen.
“Battlestar Galactica” led all shows, with its viewership rising 53 percent from live to live-plus-seven. “Sanctuary” tied for No. 3 with the CW’s “90210” and NBC’s “Heroes,” getting a 35 percent DVR bump.
And the network’s “Eureka” ranked sixth overall with a 34 percent boost.
In fact, eight of the top 13 most-DVRed shows last year were on cable, including three dramas on USA. "Burn Notice" had the biggest bump, soaring 44 percent, from 4.07 million viewers to 5.85 million, while "Psych" gained 35 percent, from 3.79 million to 5.13 million. Overall, the network has five shows gaining 29 percent or more from DVR replay.
TBS also had one show in the yearly top 10, “My Boys,” one of just two comedies, along with NBC’s “Office,” to make the list.
Why are DVR users finally taking notice of cable? It’s probably simply the natural lag time it takes to get comfortable with new technology. At first, DVR users were a small bunch who taped only a few shows.
Now, with Nielsen estimating that DVRs are in 28 percent of households, more than double the number two years ago, more shows and a broader variety of them are being taped.
Plus, many of the shows that attract the biggest DVR audiences air on young-skewing networks like TNT and USA, whose strength lies among the 18-49s most likely to own a DVR.
***
Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended Jan. 11:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): USA, TBS, FX, TNT, A&E.
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): USA, TNT, Nick at Nite, TBS, Fox News Channel.
Top movie (18-49s): TNT’s “The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 1.82 million.
Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “GMAC Bowl: Ball State/Tulsa” (Tuesday, 7:55 p.m.) 2.83 million.
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: USA’s “WWE Raw” (Monday, 9 and 10 p.m.); Bravo’s “Top Chef” (Wednesday, 10 p.m.); FX’s “Nip/Tuck” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.).
Show on the rise: MTV’s “The Real World,” Wednesday 10 p.m. The 21st season kicked off with 1.46 million viewers 18-34, up 11 percent from 1.32 million 18-34s for the season 20 premiere last April.
Show on the decline: VH1’s “Rock of Love,” Sunday 9 p.m. The Bret Michaels dating show fell 14 percent week-to-week among viewers 18-34, from 1.11 million to 954,000.
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending January 11
Rank
Primetime
Total Day
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
USA
2251
NICK
1660
2
NAN
1632
NAN *
1534
3
TNT
1565
USA
1173
4
FOXN
1458
TNT
1012
5
TBSC
1351
FOXN
917
6
HIST
1243
ADSM*
852
7
FX
1203
TBSC
819
8
AEN
1199
TOON
807
9
HALL
1142
AEN
722
10
ESPN
1114
LIF
721
11
FAM
1026
ESPN
717
12
TOON
975
HIST
710
13
LIF
965
FX
629
14
DISC
937
TRU
598
15
HGTV
928
DISC
584
16
SPK
895
FAM
568
17
TRU
856
HALL
565
18
AMC
854
CNN
563
19
SCIF
840
SPK
563
20
CNN
816
HGTV
544
21
FOOD
723
FOOD
499
22
CMDY
719
AMC
493
23
MSNB
712
TVLD
489
24
TLC
667
CMDY
463
25
TVLD
628
SCIF
450
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending January 11
Rank
Program
Net
(000)
1
Monk
USA
3633
2
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
FAM
3531
3
WWE Entertainment
USA
3324
4
WWE Entertainment
USA
3321
5
NCIS
USA
3215
6
NCIS
USA
3163
7
Spongebob
NICK
3068
8
iCarly
NICK
3059
9
iCarly
USA
2990
10
iCarly
NICK
2976
11
Spongebob
NICK
2930
12
Spongebob
NICK
2864
13
Spongebob
NICK
2849
14
Spongebob
NICK
2832
15
Spongebob
NICK
2817
16
Psych
USA
2759
17
Spongebob
NICK
2753
18
Spongebob
NICK
2749
19
The O'Reilly Factor
FOXN
2731
20
NCIS
USA
2724
21
NCIS
USA
2692
22
Spongebob
NICK
2690
23
Back At The Barnyard
NICK
2683
24
Spongebob
NICK
2676
25
iCarly
NICK
2669
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PRIME TIME
TOTAL DAY
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
TBSC
652
NAN *
516
2
USA
634
ADSM*
413
3
FX
487
NICK
364
4
NAN
417
TBSC
363
5
TNT
413
ESPN
282
6
ESPN
385
TNT
278
7
MTV
371
USA
274
8
CMDY
369
MTV
254
9
AEN
358
FX
253
10
DISC
350
CMDY
237
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PROGRAM
NET
(000)
1
Real World XXI
MTV
1459
2
WWE Entertainment
USA
1419
3
WWE Entertainment
USA
1381
4
Nip Tuck
FX
1341
5
Family Guy
ADSM
1290
6
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
FAM
1222
7
Family Guy
ADSM
1156
8
Top Chef
BRAV
1147
9
Real World XXI After Show
MTV
1146
10
Family Guy
ADSM
1141
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PRIME TIME
TOTAL DAY
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
USA
1387
NAN *
855
2
TBSC
1153
TBSC
660
3
FX
936
USA
650
4
TNT
928
TNT
634
5
AEN
770
NICK
570
6
NAN
767
ADSM*
554
7
ESPN
742
ESPN
512
8
HIST
732
FX
475
9
DISC
689
AEN
456
10
FAM
627
LIF
421
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PROGRAM
NET
(000)
1
WWE Entertainment
USA
2593
2
WWE Entertainment
USA
2519
3
Nip Tuck
FX
2403
4
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2348
5
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2319
6
Top Chef
BRAV
2077
7
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
FAM
1900
8
Monk
USA
1888
9
The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift
TNT
1817
10
Psych
USA
1746
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending January 11
PRIME TIME
TOTAL DAY
Rank
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
USA
1433
USA
691
2
TBSC
977
NAN *
668
3
TNT
975
TNT
664
4
FX
884
TBSC
564
5
HIST
798
NICK
473
6
AEN
797
AEN
461
7
ESPN
712
ESPN
454
8
DISC
656
HIST
447
9
TRU
642
FX
425
10
NAN
638
LIF
422
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PROGRAM
NET
(000)
1
WWE Entertainment
USA
2455
2
WWE Entertainment
USA
2439
3
Monk
USA
2316
4
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2165
5
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2142
6
Top Chef
BRAV
2141
7
Nip Tuck
FX
2079
8
Psych
USA
1897
9
House
USA
1810
10
NCIS
USA
1797
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.
© 2009 Media Life Magazine
Thanks for a great piece Toni.
I wanted to reach out to the crowd...doesn't it make sense?
Cable's catching
up in DVR playback
Original scripted shows are seeing impressive gains
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jan 14, 2009
For a long time, the perception has been that cable shows don’t get much of a lift from digital video recorders. Just six months ago, one study found that broadcast networks were seeing double the boost of cable from live to time-shifted viewing.
This may be the season that cable narrows that gap.
An increasing number of scripted cable programs are seeing big gains from DVR playback, the most recent being TNT’s recently introduced drama series “Leverage.”
Through four episodes, the show is up 36 percent among adults 18-49 when live-plus-seven-day DVR viewing is compared to live, from 1.33 million viewers to 1.81 million. That puts it among the top gainers on broadcast or cable, according to Nielsen.
By comparison, “The Office” got the biggest DVR kick for a top-10 broadcast show for the week ended Dec. 14, rising 36 percent, with fellow NBC show “Heroes” at No. 2 with a jump of 34 percent.
“Leverage” has also risen 33 percent among 25-54s, where it’s the No. 1 cable show in its 10 p.m. Tuesday timeslot, going from 1.65 million to 2.19 million viewers.
“Leverage” isn’t the only cable show seeing a big DVR lift, however. Over the past year, other programs have also become popular replays on DVR, and appropriately, no one has more than Sci Fi Channel.
The network, which skews young and attracts a proudly geeky crowd, had three of the six most-timeshifted programs on television during 2008, according to Nielsen.
“Battlestar Galactica” led all shows, with its viewership rising 53 percent from live to live-plus-seven. “Sanctuary” tied for No. 3 with the CW’s “90210” and NBC’s “Heroes,” getting a 35 percent DVR bump.
And the network’s “Eureka” ranked sixth overall with a 34 percent boost.
In fact, eight of the top 13 most-DVRed shows last year were on cable, including three dramas on USA. "Burn Notice" had the biggest bump, soaring 44 percent, from 4.07 million viewers to 5.85 million, while "Psych" gained 35 percent, from 3.79 million to 5.13 million. Overall, the network has five shows gaining 29 percent or more from DVR replay.
TBS also had one show in the yearly top 10, “My Boys,” one of just two comedies, along with NBC’s “Office,” to make the list.
Why are DVR users finally taking notice of cable? It’s probably simply the natural lag time it takes to get comfortable with new technology. At first, DVR users were a small bunch who taped only a few shows.
Now, with Nielsen estimating that DVRs are in 28 percent of households, more than double the number two years ago, more shows and a broader variety of them are being taped.
Plus, many of the shows that attract the biggest DVR audiences air on young-skewing networks like TNT and USA, whose strength lies among the 18-49s most likely to own a DVR.
***
Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended Jan. 11:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): USA, TBS, FX, TNT, A&E.
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): USA, TNT, Nick at Nite, TBS, Fox News Channel.
Top movie (18-49s): TNT’s “The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 1.82 million.
Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “GMAC Bowl: Ball State/Tulsa” (Tuesday, 7:55 p.m.) 2.83 million.
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: USA’s “WWE Raw” (Monday, 9 and 10 p.m.); Bravo’s “Top Chef” (Wednesday, 10 p.m.); FX’s “Nip/Tuck” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.).
Show on the rise: MTV’s “The Real World,” Wednesday 10 p.m. The 21st season kicked off with 1.46 million viewers 18-34, up 11 percent from 1.32 million 18-34s for the season 20 premiere last April.
Show on the decline: VH1’s “Rock of Love,” Sunday 9 p.m. The Bret Michaels dating show fell 14 percent week-to-week among viewers 18-34, from 1.11 million to 954,000.
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending January 11
Rank
Primetime
Total Day
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
USA
2251
NICK
1660
2
NAN
1632
NAN *
1534
3
TNT
1565
USA
1173
4
FOXN
1458
TNT
1012
5
TBSC
1351
FOXN
917
6
HIST
1243
ADSM*
852
7
FX
1203
TBSC
819
8
AEN
1199
TOON
807
9
HALL
1142
AEN
722
10
ESPN
1114
LIF
721
11
FAM
1026
ESPN
717
12
TOON
975
HIST
710
13
LIF
965
FX
629
14
DISC
937
TRU
598
15
HGTV
928
DISC
584
16
SPK
895
FAM
568
17
TRU
856
HALL
565
18
AMC
854
CNN
563
19
SCIF
840
SPK
563
20
CNN
816
HGTV
544
21
FOOD
723
FOOD
499
22
CMDY
719
AMC
493
23
MSNB
712
TVLD
489
24
TLC
667
CMDY
463
25
TVLD
628
SCIF
450
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending January 11
Rank
Program
Net
(000)
1
Monk
USA
3633
2
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
FAM
3531
3
WWE Entertainment
USA
3324
4
WWE Entertainment
USA
3321
5
NCIS
USA
3215
6
NCIS
USA
3163
7
Spongebob
NICK
3068
8
iCarly
NICK
3059
9
iCarly
USA
2990
10
iCarly
NICK
2976
11
Spongebob
NICK
2930
12
Spongebob
NICK
2864
13
Spongebob
NICK
2849
14
Spongebob
NICK
2832
15
Spongebob
NICK
2817
16
Psych
USA
2759
17
Spongebob
NICK
2753
18
Spongebob
NICK
2749
19
The O'Reilly Factor
FOXN
2731
20
NCIS
USA
2724
21
NCIS
USA
2692
22
Spongebob
NICK
2690
23
Back At The Barnyard
NICK
2683
24
Spongebob
NICK
2676
25
iCarly
NICK
2669
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PRIME TIME
TOTAL DAY
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
TBSC
652
NAN *
516
2
USA
634
ADSM*
413
3
FX
487
NICK
364
4
NAN
417
TBSC
363
5
TNT
413
ESPN
282
6
ESPN
385
TNT
278
7
MTV
371
USA
274
8
CMDY
369
MTV
254
9
AEN
358
FX
253
10
DISC
350
CMDY
237
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PROGRAM
NET
(000)
1
Real World XXI
MTV
1459
2
WWE Entertainment
USA
1419
3
WWE Entertainment
USA
1381
4
Nip Tuck
FX
1341
5
Family Guy
ADSM
1290
6
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
FAM
1222
7
Family Guy
ADSM
1156
8
Top Chef
BRAV
1147
9
Real World XXI After Show
MTV
1146
10
Family Guy
ADSM
1141
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PRIME TIME
TOTAL DAY
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
USA
1387
NAN *
855
2
TBSC
1153
TBSC
660
3
FX
936
USA
650
4
TNT
928
TNT
634
5
AEN
770
NICK
570
6
NAN
767
ADSM*
554
7
ESPN
742
ESPN
512
8
HIST
732
FX
475
9
DISC
689
AEN
456
10
FAM
627
LIF
421
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PROGRAM
NET
(000)
1
WWE Entertainment
USA
2593
2
WWE Entertainment
USA
2519
3
Nip Tuck
FX
2403
4
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2348
5
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2319
6
Top Chef
BRAV
2077
7
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
FAM
1900
8
Monk
USA
1888
9
The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift
TNT
1817
10
Psych
USA
1746
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending January 11
PRIME TIME
TOTAL DAY
Rank
Net
(000)
Net
(000)
1
USA
1433
USA
691
2
TBSC
977
NAN *
668
3
TNT
975
TNT
664
4
FX
884
TBSC
564
5
HIST
798
NICK
473
6
AEN
797
AEN
461
7
ESPN
712
ESPN
454
8
DISC
656
HIST
447
9
TRU
642
FX
425
10
NAN
638
LIF
422
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending January 11
Rank
PROGRAM
NET
(000)
1
WWE Entertainment
USA
2455
2
WWE Entertainment
USA
2439
3
Monk
USA
2316
4
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2165
5
Meet The Browns
TBSC
2142
6
Top Chef
BRAV
2141
7
Nip Tuck
FX
2079
8
Psych
USA
1897
9
House
USA
1810
10
NCIS
USA
1797
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.
© 2009 Media Life Magazine
Thanks for a great piece Toni.
I wanted to reach out to the crowd...doesn't it make sense?
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