US TV researcher TDG says that TV viewing of original broadcasts is falling dramatically, with 40% of viewers opting to watch top TV programs using a DVR and less than half of broadband users viewing their favorite TV programs when they initially broadcast.
Although the sample for this study was taken only from viewers which also have broadband, this research contradicts much of the accepted wisdom that has come out of media companies like Nielsen, which gives the impression that DVRs are only used on some programming, and that even then the viewers rarely fast forward through advertising.
‘With the advent of the DVR, the primacy of programming schedules was forever diminished,’ notes Michael Greeson, founding partner and director of research at TDG. ‘The DVR, however, simply signaled the first stages of a prolonged and permanent shift to quantum media delivery and consumption: the ‘anytime, any device, any content’ model implicit in new media efforts such as ‘TV Everywhere.’ With prime-time TV programming now available online, any Internet-connected screen – a PC, a web pad, even a mobile phone – becomes an access point. And consumers are putting these new conduits to use, even when it comes to initial viewing of their favorite TV shows.’
According to TDG’s new research, TV broadcasts still dominate initial viewing: when first-run and rebroadcasts are combined, 60% of adult broadband users turn to TV broadcasts to first enjoy their favorite TV shows. On the other hand, 40% of consumers turn to a new media platform: 30% use their DVR to record the initial broadcasts for viewing at a later time, while 10% use online TV sites.
This data is from TDG’s latest quantitative primary consumer research which surveyed more than 2,000 US adult broadband users regarding a variety of digital video-related topics and hypothesis testing the notion of “TV Everywhere” or “three-screen” video services. The study also evaluated a number of emerging services and applications that may be included in a multi-screen video service.