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DVRs Help Some TV Shows Improve Ratings
ubermiester writes "After years of panicked lawsuits by content providers against TiVo and DVR technology in general, the NYTimes is reporting on yet another lesson for the content providers to learn and then immediately forget: 'Against almost every expectation, nearly half of all people watching delayed shows are still slouching on their couches watching messages about movies, cars, and beer. According to Nielsen, 46 percent of viewers 18 to 49 years old for all four networks taken together are watching the commercials during playback, up slightly from last year.' The article also notes viewership increases 'in the range of 7 to 12 percent, with some shows having increases of more than 20 percent when DVR ratings are added. The four networks together are averaging a 10 percent increase."
Not only is it trivial to skip commercials for a shifted show, but it can do it automatically.
I have also adjusted my life to only watching what I have recorded. I'm not sure when the last time I turned on 'Live TV' was. I have taken to keeping the last/freshest five episodes from a number of programs I like to watch, and I select from between them. Myth automatically deletes the old ones, and I find five or so is plenty for my families needs.
That being said, even seeing a commercial these days just feels odd to me, let alone watching it.
Recorded shows increase viewership? Like pirated movies increase movie ticket sales? Like pirated music increases digital music sales?
Question is, will the media giants really wake up and stop all this lawsuit nonsense. Will RIAA, MPAA and other copyright trolls really give up the ghost and embrace the digital age and realise the potential of the internet?
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. - Peter F. Drucker
When I'm online I'm just not that interested in going to a website to watch movie trailers, but if one happens to be on while I'm 30s skipping, I'm a lot more inclind to watch. My web-mode is very reading centric with lots of clicking. My TV mode is very much a passive observer.
I don't understand why those with PVRs still watch the ads. .
In our case, the wife likes watching the ads as it's her primary way to learn about new products and services.
Commercials give me a break to go pee, make a phone call, or grab another brew. I still need that break when I'm watching a DVR'd show. I'm not actually watching the commercials.
I don't understand why those with PVRs still watch the ads.
I enjoy ads that I find clever or interesting - for example, I love most of the ones Jack in the Box (a US hamburger chain) makes. Since I skip through the commercial breaks using my Tivo's 30-second skip function, I'll often catch just enough of an ad so I can tell if it's likely to catch my interest - in which case, I watch it.
If I had to estimate, I'd say I watch at most 15 percent of the commercials, though; and that's likely a high estimate.
I think the bottom line is: When I watch ads, I'm doing so for the same reason I watch a TV show - for entertainment.
#DeleteChrome
For me? Zip. I *still* skip the commercials, then press "pause". I have a MythTV system and for most, well behaved shows, this is a snap. Hell, even if I'm available to watch something live, I'll often do something else while the show records just so I can skip through the commercials later.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
"After years of panicked lawsuits against TiVo and DVR technology in general, the NYTimes is reporting on yet another lesson for content providers to learn and then immediately forget"
"According to Nielsen, 46 percent of viewers 18 to 49 years old for all four networks taken together are watching the commercials during playback, up slightly from last year"
"some shows having increases of more than 20 percent when DVR ratings are added"
So, the ad value drops by 54%... But up to 20% more viewers are added... Giving, at best, 55.2% of your former ad viewership.
Yes, 55.2% of your old value is SO much better than the former 100%.
Drawing the conclusion that content providers were wrong to freak out about DVRs is farcical. Their product is still worth at least 45% less to advertisers. Yes, 45% less is better than 54% less, that 20% bump from DVRs hooking more viewers is nice and all... But, seriously, it's like saying "Hey, we burned down half your home but, good news, we totally discovered a small basement you didn't know about in the charred wreckage. Aren't you grateful we torched your home?!"
One of the benefits to the networks as far as ads go... our household might actually record 2 prime-time shows at once(dual tuner). Then we might potentially accidentally watch commercials on either one while we're waiting on our better half to get back from the bathroom or the kitchen. We will also go back and watch the interesting commercials... (Not the ones about medications and so forth though... those dollars aren't helping the drug companies at all... just driving up prices.)
Too bad there aren't that many real people working in the research departments for the networks... they might actually get a real idea about viewing habits... instead of approximating patterns based on computer models.
I use the 30 second skip button on my Tivo to flash through the commercials. This typically means that the only commercial I see is either the first one of the break, or the last one of the break. If the first one catches my attention in the first 3 seconds, I end up watching it, and if the last 5 seconds of the last one is intriguing (say, has a punch line but not the setup), I will rewind to watch it. Occasionally, I will end up watching a commercial in the middle if the quick flash draws my brain in too (typically with some sort of interesting colors, etc).
Otherwise, I just skip through them. Seems like there could be money made studying the unique commercial viewing habits of DVR users. I'm not sure if my own experiences are unique or common.
Also, is 'had commercial playing' the finest granularity Nielsen can provide? What percent of those people actually remembered what the ad was about? And how does that percentage compare to live TV watchers?
-Ryan
AUWYHSTOT (Acronyms are Useless When You Have to Spell Them Out Too)
I agree. I've been a TiVo user for years. I do skip a fair number of commercials, but there is a good reason for that.
Some commercials are very good, entertaining. I don't mind them. I may stop to watch them. Apple's ads usually do this. Many commercials are generic, and I don't care that much. I'll often just let them play and avoid them.
The problem is getting torn out of the program when I'm really watching. I enjoy watching the latest episode of HOUR_LONG_SHOW, but I hate watching the same commercial once per commercial break. Let's say I record 2 or 3 hours of television off a cable channel. It's very common for me to be given 8-10 chances to see one ad. Over. And over. And over.
By the 3rd view, I really don't care. By the 6th, I want to kill you. You're not helping yourself at that point. It's probably better I do skip the ad at that point.
When commercials are funny/cute/interesting/catchy you can easily get me to watch. When it's like hearing a 2 year old say "Yes! I'm the hemorrhoid lady!" for the 40th time, I jump for the remote.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
i'm not saying your complaints about the cinema are invalid, i'm saying your personal experience isn't the only valid experience, expecially since box office receipts suggest your experience is not typical
the cinema is still a good value. that's not an opinion, box office receipts point to that statement as an objective fact for the majority of people. i mean, i hate cars, i don't own one. i live in midtown manhattan and i think the suburban/ strip mall/ clogged highway lifestyle is an atrocity. however, i recognize that plenty of people still think the car is a good value because of the freedom it represents to them in the suburbs: people continue to buy cars. in other words, i recognize that my opinion on automobiles, however passionate, is not typical. perhaps you should consider that your opinion on the cinema house is not typical
you admit car ownership can be a hassle, and that's it probably more of a hassle every day with raising gas prices, worse road conditions, more traffic, etc... right? well going to the cinema is a hassle to, and is probably more of a hassle everyday. and yet going to the cinema, much like car ownership, is still a value, as spoken by the masses and the wallets. i hate the car ownership experience. you hate the cinema experience. now admit, like me, that we are not the majority on our respective issues
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it