As DVR becomes an increasingly important part of consumers' lives, TV networks have argued that advertisers should take into account DVR ratings and especially, Live+7 DVR ratings, which add up the ratings from the first airing of a show as well as those who viewed the show up to seven days afterward on the DVR. In some ways, this makes sense; last year, DVR viewing in households increased while live TV viewing decreased. However, a new study found that DVRing a program frequently doesn’t help its final ratings. In the United States, 41% of the content taped is never viewed.
We’re a nation with plenty of choice, but also plenty of waste, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that internationally the amount of taped content that isn’t viewed is lower, at 36%. The study was conducted by Motorola Mobility and, according to Variety, the study featured 9,500 participants living in 17 different countries. The study also found that TV viewing is up 90% around the globe this year, averaging 19 hours a week per household.
Overall, this means numbers are changing across the board. Taping a program doesn’t necessarily mean a family is watching a program, however, Live+ ratings have certainly helped shows like The Americans to succeed where they may not be able to in live time and has even allowed popular shows like Revolution to get a big ratings boost. Additionally, while families may be watching less live TV and may be hoarding programs on DVRS, they’ve still managed to find more time in their busy schedules to watch TV, which means there is more opportunity for networks, if those companies can figure out a magical formula to intrigue viewers.
