Network TV ratings have been falling for a very long time. But while the number of viewers watching may be falling, those who are left may be more engaged. That’s the suggestion of a new report from Knowledge Networks, which finds that TV viewers, notably those ages 18-49, are more mindful of what programs they’re watching and more likely to plan ahead to watch them than they were four years ago. That’s also contributed to a large rise in DVR usage. Four years ago, just 2 percent of respondents said they used DVRs; that number quadrupled in the 2008 survey. Plus, despite the continued discussion of media multitasking, more viewers reported putting their full attention on the TV rather than some other media. Just 56 percent of 18-49s say they multitask while watching primetime television, compared to 65 percent in 2004. David Tice, vice president and director of The Home Technology Monitor at Knowledge Networks, talks to Media Life about DVRs, viewer engagement and how viewership has changed compared to 1994 and 2004.

What has changed the most between now and four years ago in terms of how 18-49s watch TV?
 
We’ve seen a couple things. DVR usage is much higher now than it was in 2004. Ownership has quintupled since then.
 
But we also saw that viewing out of home has dropped by almost half, and why that is is up for conjecture. Maybe people aren’t spending money to drive to a friend’s house to watch TV.
 
We also saw that people are more likely to be watching alone, they’re more likely to have planned ahead to watch a program during an hour, and they’re less likely to be channel switching during that program.
 
Those three things kind of go together when considering how to measure involvement. We recognize that planned viewing and less channel switching relates to involvement in a program, and people seem to be viewing a little bit more deliberately. That makes sense, considering there are slightly more TVs in the home than there was before and also more channels to choose from.
 
 
What did you find most interesting or most surprising about this report?
 
I think overall the most interesting thing is there really wasn’t, despite all the changes we’ve seen, a lot of change in terms of primetime viewing compared to 2004. Where we did see changes was among certain audience groups, but overall things didn’t change a lot.
 

What's the most important thing media buyers and planners can learn from it?
 
One thing we saw was that the group of people who typically watch recorded content during a particular hour, the composition of that viewing group changed from 2004. Back then it was mostly VCR with some DVD use, but now most is from DVR use with DVD playback making up the remainder.
 
So the increased use of DVRs has displaced VCRs, but it’s also replaced DVD usage as well.
 

How has primetime become more about the viewer's wants and needs rather than what networks themselves program?
 
I think that goes back to the greater availability of DVRs and the ease of use.

Ninety percent of homes had a VCR and could have time shifted in the previous study, but they never did. And it’s completely the opposite with DVRs.
 
It’s easy to use and people actively use it. While the majority of people still watch live programming, there’s a certain amount who are actively controlling what and when they are watching, and that will only increase.
 

How do attitudes toward primetime advertising differ between the three major generational groups?
 
Well, there’s definitely more switching being done by younger people. So we asked them about if they typically switch the channel during commercials, and 63 percent of millennials (ages 13-29) said they did, compared to 53 percent of Gen X (30-43) and 42 percent of Boomers (44-54).
 
The other attitudes didn’t really vary much by generation. We asked if people pay more attention to primetime ads, if ads in primetime are more interesting or relevant, and those responses were pretty much the same across all age groups.
 

What activities do you see accompanying and/or replacing primetime viewing among younger age groups?
 
In the 8 p.m. hour it’s typically eating or working, whereas when you get to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. you see people are sleeping. So it changes throughout the evening.
 
Working on a computer or on the web is up there, and talking to people, whether in person or on the phone, is also high on the list.
 
And we did ask about people who didn’t use TV during a particular hour, what they were doing instead. The responses showed there very few people saying they were using other digital options as a substitution for regular TV use.
 

You find that the percentage of people using a DVR has increased. Why are people more likely to time-shift now than four years ago, and how much more prevalent will this become?
 
Obviously the use of DVRs has increased. For instance, for the 10 p.m. hour, the proportion of people viewing using a DVR went from 2 percent to 8 percent. It’s still a relatively small proportion, but we certainly see the time shifting increasing as DVRs are adopted.
 
These are putting things in people’s hands that are very easy to use, and we feel that will make things increase more. Maybe not as much as some think, but it all depends on how DVRs are adopted.
 

What are the biggest differences between how viewers watch TV now and 14 years ago?
 
One big change in terms of TV use between 1994 and now is that the use of video games increased from 1 percent of people who were using TVs for games to 6 percent, so that’s a big change. And certainly younger people are driving it. It’s sort of like another option besides DVRs and VOD.
 
Another change we saw is people watching alone and choosing their programs. For instance, in 1994, 31 percent of people were watching during the hour alone, whereas in 2008 that number went to 46 percent, so that increased almost by half.
 
Since people are watching alone they’re also more likely to choose the programming they’re watching, and that went from 62 percent to 81 percent. And that ties back in to the number of sets in the home and the number that are hooked up to cable and/or satellite.
 
We also saw that channel switching increased; 33 percent of people in 1994 said they had changed channels during the hour we asked about, and that increased to 48 percent this year. So it seems people are less tolerant of commercials.
 
In terms of other activities while viewing, 67 percent who were viewing in 1994 said they were doing something else while watching, and that went up to 77 percent this year.