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DVRs: Easing
the Friday night curse


It's not just hugely popular shows gaining viewers

Oct 29, 2008
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As expected, hit shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Heroes” have seen a huge boost from seven-day DVR playback, getting millions of additional viewers.

But there is another group of shows also seeing substantial DVR boosts that gives greater insight into the minds of the device’s users. They are using their DVRs as true time-shifting devices, moving shows from inconvenient timeslots to fit their own schedules.

Those programs include ones that air on Friday nights, when many people are out and about and nowhere near a TV set, and at 10 p.m. on weeknights, past many early risers’ bedtimes.

NBC’s “Life,” for example, which airs at 10 p.m. Friday, saw a 35.7 percent kick in its adults 18-49 rating from live-plus-same-day to L+7, as seven-day playback ratings are called. It went from a 1.4 to a 1.9 rating and recorded the biggest jump for any broadcast show for the third week of the season, according to Nielsen data.

CBS’s “Ghost Whisperer” and “Numb3rs,” which both air on Friday, saw jumps of 14.8 percent and 13.6 percent, respectively, putting them among CBS’s top five biggest gainers.

The network’s biggest jumper, “CSI: Miami,” was one of several 10 p.m. shows across the Big Three to see substantial gains, rising 15 percent. ABC’s “Dirty Sexy Money,” which airs at 10 on Wednesday, soared 20 percent, while NBC’s “Lipstick Jungle,” in the same timeslot, was up 26.3 percent, even more than “Heroes,” the network’s biggest DVR gainer last season.

True, some of these shows are gaining from relatively small bases. “Lipstick” and “Money,” for example, still only cracked 2.4 ratings. But the greater significance is in giving media people insight into how DVRs are being used.

Though most Friday shows still have small viewership even with L+7 numbers, the DVR playback demonstrates that people are still interested in watching programs on the increasingly desolate night; they’re just not willing to stay home to do so.

And while there had been some concern about declining numbers for 10 p.m. programs over the past year, the DVR numbers indicate that the falloff isn’t as steep as had been feared. Viewers are committing to the shows, they’re just watching them a few days later.

That could help programs like “Money,” a second-year show that saw its ratings decline after going off the air for nine months due to the writers’ strike, secure a full-season order or at least a different, more viewer-friendly timeslot.

***

Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Oct. 26:
 
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 3.6 average rating and a 10 share, followed by ABC and CBS at 3.0/8, NBC at 2.2/6, Univision at 1.7/5, CW at 1.0/3, MyNetworkTV at 0.6/2, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 3.1 average rating and a 10 share, followed by ABC at 2.4/7, NBC at 2.0/6, CBS and Univision at 1.9/6, CW at 1.2/4, Telemundo at 0.6/2, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 4.2 average rating and an 11 share, followed by CBS at 3.9/10, ABC at 3.6/9, NBC at 2.5/6, Univision at 1.6/4, CW at 0.9/2, MyNetworkTV at 0.6/2 Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1, Ion at 0.2/0 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 5.8; 2. Fox’s “House” 5.6; 3. CBS’s “CSI” 5.5; 4. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 5.4; Tie-5. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” and Fox’s “World Series Game 4” 5.1.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “CSI” 19.49 million; 2. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 18.5 million; 3. CBS’s “NCIS” 17.23 million; 4. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars Results” 16.35 million; 5. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 15.95 million.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (households, week ended Oct. 12): 1. CBS’s “CSI” 14.9; 2. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 12.4; 3. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 11.3; 4. CBS’s “Criminal Minds” 11.1; Tie-5. CBS’s “CSI: NY” and “NCIS” 10.8.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended Oct. 12): 1. CBS’s “CSI” 8.1; 2. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 6.9; 3. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 6.6; 4. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 5.6; 5. NBC’s “The Office” 5.5.
 
Show on the rise: “Dancing with the Stars Results,” ABC, Tuesday 9 p.m. The reality results show averaged a season-high 3.8 among viewers 18-49, up 15 percent from a 3.3 the previous week.
 
Show on the decline: “My Own Worst Enemy,” NBC, Monday 10 p.m. The new Christian Slater drama tumbled nearly 17 percent week-to-week among 18-49s, from a 3.0 to a 2.5.

WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 26

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

7.2

8270

12

3.9

11350

10

3.0

3950

8

FOX

6.7

7660

11

3.8

10870

10

3.6

4800

10

ABC

6.4

7380

10

3.4

9960

9

3.0

3980

8

NBC

3.9

4410

6

2.1

6100

5

2.2

2950

6

UNI

2.0

2330

3

1.4

4140

4

1.7

2200

5

CW

1.5

1670

2

0.8

2220

2

1.0

1310

3

MNT

1.0

1160

2

0.6

1640

1

0.6

770

2

TEL

0.6

730

1

0.4

1210

1

0.5

700

1

ION

0.4

410

1

0.2

530

0

0.1

160

0

TF

0.3

360

1

0.2

610

1

0.3

370

1

AZA

0.1

90

0

0.0

140

0

0.1

90

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 145 million homes

Source: Nielsen Media Research 

 

SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 26

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

7.4

8420

12

4.0

11650

10

3.3

4340

9

ABC

6.7

7670

11

3.6

10390

9

3.2

4250

9

FOX

5.1

5890

8

2.9

8300

7

3.0

4000

8

NBC

4.8

5460

8

2.6

7590

7

2.9

3810

8

UNI

2.0

2240

3

1.3

3880

3

1.5

2040

4

CW

1.7

1890

3

0.9

2510

2

1.1

1500

3

MNT

1.0

1170

2

0.5

1590

1

0.5

730

1

TEL

0.6

670

1

0.4

1090

1

0.5

620

1

TF

0.3

380

1

0.2

620

1

0.3

380

1

ION

0.3

380

1

0.2

490

0

0.1

160

0

AZA

0.1

100

0

0.1

160

0

0.1

100

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 145 million homes

Note: Season-to-date estimates are a weighted average of pre-TSV and Live+7 data, except for the most recent two weeks which are based Live+SD viewing.
Source: Nielsen Media Research 

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

HOUSEHOLDS

PERSONS 2+

Rtg%

Shr

(000)

#

Rtg%

(000)

1

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

12.0

18

13723

2

6.4

18497

2

CSI

CBS

11.7

17

13403

1

6.7

19492

3

DANCING W/STARS RESULTS

ABC

10.7

16

12231

4

5.6

16350

3

NCIS

CBS

10.7

17

12257

3

5.9

17226

5

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

ABC

10.1

15

11620

5

5.5

15953

6

MENTALIST, THE

CBS

9.6

14

11026

6

5.3

15282

7

CRIMINAL MINDS

CBS

9.5

14

10838

8

5.2

15012

7

GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM

ABC

9.5

14

10887

9

5.0

14451

9

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4(S)

FOX

9.3

15

10689

6

5.3

15479

10

CSI: NY

CBS

9.2

15

10577

9

5.0

14390

10

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1(S)

FOX

9.2

15

10480

9

5.0

14634

12

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

8.9

15

10142

13

4.7

13505

12

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

8.9

13

10150

9

5.0

14630

14

60 MINUTES

CBS

8.5

14

9740

18

4.4

12816

15

OT, THE

FOX

8.2

14

9396

14

4.6

13277

16

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2(S)

FOX

8.1

13

9263

18

4.4

12777

17

FOX WORLD SERIES GM4-PRE(S)

FOX

8.0

13

9135

16

4.5

13059

18

ELEVENTH HOUR

CBS

7.8

13

8955

21

4.1

11849

18

HOUSE

FOX

7.8

12

8951

16

4.5

13085

18

SURVIVOR: GABON

CBS

7.8

12

8874

14

4.6

13309

21

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

7.7

13

8802

23

4.0

11629

22

COLD CASE

CBS

7.6

11

8722

21

4.1

11966

23

EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P

ABC

7.3

11

8375

20

4.2

12257

24

BROTHERS & SISTERS

ABC

6.7

11

7661

26

3.4

9856

25

SAMANTHA WHO?

ABC

6.5

10

7416

30

3.3

9636

Source: Nielsen Media Research

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending October 26

Rank

Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

ABC

5.8

7624

2

HOUSE

FOX

5.6

7389

3

CSI

CBS

5.5

7273

4

GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM

ABC

5.4

7186

5

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4(S)

FOX

5.1

6675

5

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

5.1

6712

7

OT, THE

FOX

5.0

6617

8

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1(S)

FOX

4.8

6305

9

FOX WORLD SERIES GM4-PRE(S)

FOX

4.4

5779

9

SURVIVOR: GABON

CBS

4.4

5772

11

OFFICE

NBC

4.2

5494

12

CRIMINAL MINDS

CBS

4.1

5438

12

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

4.1

5374

14

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2(S)

FOX

4.0

5324

14

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

CBS

4.0

5270

14

SNL:WKND UPDT 10/23(S)

NBC

4.0

5319

17

CSI: NY

CBS

3.9

5085

17

EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P

ABC

3.9

5178

17

FRINGE

FOX

3.9

5167

17

HEROES

NBC

3.9

5194

21

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

3.8

5056

21

DANCING W/STARS RESULTS

ABC

3.8

5055

23

NCIS

CBS

3.6

4788

23

SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL

ABC

3.6

4720

25

BIG BANG THEORY, THE

CBS

3.5

4631

25

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

3.5

4601

Source: Nielsen Media Research

  

SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED)
Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+ (000)

1

FUEGO EN LA SANGRE M-F

UNI

22.5

5251

2

CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL M-F

UNI

21.0

4878

3

NOCHE 10 GORDO FLACA10/23(S)-10/23/2008

UNI

18.5

3928

4

QUERIDA ENEMIGA M-F

UNI

17.6

3800

5

SHOW SUENOS SANGRE MI SUN

UNI

17.1

3879

6

AQUI Y AHORA TUE

UNI

14.8

2788

7

ROSA DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI

UNI

14.3

3710

8

DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE

UNI

14.0

2733

9

CRISTINA MON

UNI

13.9

2730

10

FUTBOL LIGA MEXICANA SUN

UNI

13.1

3295

11

SABADO GIGANTE SAT

UNI

12.0

2516

12

SN SENOS NO HAY PARAISO M-F

TEL

9.0

1938

13

ROSTRO DE ANALIA M-F

TEL

7.2

1493

14

DONA BARBARA M-F

TEL

4.6

948

15

CINE MILLONARIO

TEL

4.4

1220

16

12 CORAZONES M-F

TEL

3.8

769

17

LETRA Y MUSICA

TEL

3.7

695

18

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN

TF

3.6

969

19

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SAT 2

TF

3.5

778

20

MARAV MUNDO DISNEY 10/26(S)-10/26/2008

TEL

3.0

669

21

CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-THU

TF

2.9

619

21

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SAT

TF

2.9

589

23

ESCANDALO TV EXTRA 2 SUN

TF

2.7

581

24

SOLO BOXEO TECATE FRI

TF

2.6

591

25

VIDEOS MAS ASOMBROSOS SUN

TF

2.5

532

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+(000)

1

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1(S)-10/22/2008

FOX

6.8

1349

2

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4(S)-10/26/2008

FOX

6.4

1325

3

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2(S)-10/23/2008

FOX

5.7

1102

4

FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 3(S)-10/25/2008

FOX

5.3

948

5

DANCING W/STARS RESULTS

ABC

4.7

847

6

GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM

ABC

4.6

887

6

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

4.6

859

8

FOX WORLD SERIES GM4-PRE(S)-10/26/2008

FOX

4.5

891

9

CSI

CBS

4.3

846

10

FOX WORLD SERIES GM1-PRE(S)-10/22/2008

FOX

4.2

742

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES
Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 19

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+(000)

1

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

11.8

2147

2

CSI

CBS

10.3

1935

3

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

10.0

1797

3

60 MINUTES

CBS

10.0

1812

5

NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

NBC

9.3

1709

6

DANCING W/STARS RESULTS

ABC

9.1

1709

6

ELEVENTH HOUR

CBS

9.1

1732

8

GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM

ABC

8.6

1598

8

COLD CASE

CBS

8.6

1488

10

NCIS

CBS

7.9

1479

* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

TOP 20 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending September 28

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Episode

Households

Persons 2+

US Rtg%

Shr

(000)

(000)

1

CBS NFL NATIONAL

CBS

VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES

14.2

29

16313

23216

2

FOX NFL SUNDAY-SINGLE

FOX

VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES

10.1

23

11559

16313

3

CBS NFL REGIONAL

CBS

VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES

6.4

15

7373

9833

4

NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

NBC

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