Posts Tagged ‘Research’

Discovery Study: OTT is HOT…for the Fast-Forward Crowd

January 15, 2013 | by aharris

Today’s guest post on Discovery Blog is from Pam Pearce, Senior Director of Ad Sales Research, and David Ernst, Vice President of Ad Sales Research, for Discovery Communications.

A growing number of viewers are saying, “I want my OTT.” But so far, it is not for everybody.

The number of people using over-the-top (OTT) or connected devices to watch television is ramping up quickly[1]. Through research, including our October 2012 survey of Discovery Communications’ Influencer Panel outlined here, we are now able to better understand how viewing habits are changing as people adopt these new technologies.

While more than a third of households have an Internet connection for their television, only about 13% of viewers say they have used it to stream content on their TV. This group of “Video Explorers” are evolving into a different type of viewer, one that will prove an important segment for programmers and advertisers as they generally exert a disproportionate influence regarding what programs to watch as well as which brands to buy.

At the same time, OTT devices have opened up a new dimension to television viewing – for some. For the Video Explorers, it has completely changed not only the way they watch TV and video, but also the way they think about television. Just as a few decades ago when the introduction of cable forever changed and broke the mold of TV viewing in the days of three broadcast networks, so too are the various connected options further reshaping the media landscape.

For those Video Explorers, it is all about choice and control. Once the TV set is connected to the Internet, whether via a device such as a Roku or Apple TV or via the “smart” part of their TV, the number of viewing options can instantly expand. The plethora of choices is reprogramming the way that Explorers are watching TV, as they are now completely in control, and expect to be able to choose what they want to watch and control when and how they watch it.

Research conducted among Discovery’s Influencer Panel points to a more measured adoption of OTT going forward among the general population. Gaining a better understanding of Video Explorers will give us an early read on future viewing behaviors across audiences.

‘Explorers’ Are Different

Video Explorers think about television and video viewing in a different way than those who are not connected. First off, their approach to figuring out what to watch has evolved away from mainstream habits. But, perhaps surprisingly, while OTT offerings are important to Explorers, these options currently only make up a fairly small portion of their time spent viewing.

OTT is not the first, second or even third choice when an Explorer sits down to watch. The initial instinct is to either check what is on their DVR or just go directly to the channel that has the program they what to watch. This differs from “non-connecteds” who will first check live TV on their favorite channels to see what might be on.

For most Explorers in our survey, OTT is just another menu choice, supplementing not only TV (live and DVR make up about 55%), but also all of the other sources of content including DVD and VOD. OTT is an addition rather than a replacement, representing yet another aspect of the continued fractionalization of television viewing – and another stage in the transition from live to recorded to on-demand viewing. An important and growing segment of Explorers truly are “streamers,” as 13% of Explorers look to streaming sites to find something to watch first (18% say that streaming is their preferred way to view).

Similarly, our study reveals a large group of non-connecteds who often first “check their favorite channels” as their primary method of finding something to watch, just as many their counterparts did decades ago. As an update to some of these behaviors, now many check program guides (both electronic and print) to find new and favorite programs, again mimicking behavior from earlier days.

OTT Survey Chart 1

OTT Survey Chart 2

Video Explorers Are Searching for Content

Based on the results of our study, the primary motivation for Explorers to use streaming and OTT services is the hunt for content. Two-thirds of these viewers are paying for additional content, with Netflix by far being the most popular additional service. The desire to be cord-free is a less significant contributor to seeking out streaming options. In fact, less than 30% of Explorers say that they are adding streaming services to cut down on costs by avoiding cable fees or other costs.

So, while cord-cutting is in practice among a portion of this audience (especially among younger segments), the majority are adding services, instead of replacing them, to supplement more traditional fare. The result, however, is that about 44% of those who stream admit that these alternatives cut down on their viewing of programs through the cable box. This is potentially a sign of things to come and surely speaks to even more fragmentation of viewing in the future.  Our study points to the fact that quality programming will be more vital than ever as a key to retaining viewers as audiences shift their behavior.

With increased fragmentation, advertisers will need to aggregate audiences to a greater extent to reach audiences across many platforms. The good news here is that most Explorers are not looking to avoid advertising as a motivation for streaming (29% say they are trying to avoid ads). And, just as with DVR adoption, we can expect that those who are the most anti-advertising have already adopted some OTT viewing behavior.

OTT Survey Chart 3

As we look to future behavior among Television Audiences, we can use some of these findings to project some changes. It appears that more viewers will take on some type of OTT or connected Device to supplement their core TV viewing behavior. The rate of adoption, however, will be limited by costs and a clear understanding of the benefits of these services.  And, clearly, the most important benefit, whether OTT or from more traditional sources, is quality content.

Download the full study.

Special thanks to Julia Goorin of Discovery Communications’ Ad Sales Research team, who managed the study.


[1] From Leichtman Research Group, Emerging Video Services VI, 1Q 2012: An estimated 38% of households have a TV connected to the internet, up 24% from just two years ago

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Viewers LIKE (Love) TV…Everywhere!

October 3, 2012 | by aharris

Today’s guest blog post is from David Ernst and Pam Pearce from Discovery Communications’ Ad Sales Research team, based on a study managed by Discovery’s Kerry O’Brien.

There is no question that television audiences today have more choices than ever – not only do a rapidly expanding number program options exist, but so do the number of ways that a viewer can choose to watch content.  The permutations are now becoming seemingly infinite (live or on-demand, download or stream, tablet or phone, with or without advertising) and an increasing number of people are taking advantage of those options. In this environment of perpetual change defined by an increasing number of choices, there has been much debate about the state of the traditional television experience. How have these choices impacted the way that people watch television? And if there are perceived changes, what do they portend for the future?

In order to gain a deeper understanding of these transitions, Discovery Communications partnered with Interpret to examine the key motivators of television consumption today, as well as to understand how and why television might be changing in the future.*

The results of this research (download the full study) show – to paraphrase Mark Twain – “the reports of Television’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.” While there are groups of people who could seemingly live without the big screen (mostly younger), the vast majority of people still have a love affair with the TV set.

TV Remains on Top

According to the Discovery/Interpret study, rates of watching TV content via a cable/satellite box remains by far the most popular method of experiencing video, besting the next most frequent method – streaming through a computer – by 23%.

TV Everywhere Study Chart 1

*The study was conducted among US consumers (aged 18-49) who own a TV and another device capable of legally streaming content. Given the incidence of consumers with both a TV and another connected device continues to grow above 70%, this sample was chosen as an indicator of where the market is headed.

What keeps the traditional TV experience at the top? It is simple, consumers LIKE the experience of watching content on a TV set. Nearly six in 10 consumers prefer it over all other ways to watch programming.

TV Everywhere Study Chart 2

Also contributing to the appeal of traditional TV is its ability to easily deliver a quality experience. 39% of respondents completely agree that “It is most convenient to watch TV shows on your television.” Smaller screens are unable to match the picture and sound delivered by the TV, making them less likely to be chosen when traditional TV is an option. Even consumers who stream content through apps on Internet-enabled TVs or devices connected to the TV enjoy viewing on the actual TV – 38% agree they prefer it over other screens.

 TV Everywhere Study Chart 3

The study also revealed some additional (maybe surprising) aspects of the traditional TV experience that viewers enjoy – for instance, having a set schedule (17% of respondents completely agree). One-quarter of those who watch TV through their cable box agree they prefer to watch shows the day they air rather than waiting for them to become available elsewhere. At a time when spoilers are quickly made available through social media, viewers are driven to tune into programs the night they air. Watching in real time is important for viewers who want to keep up to date on their favorite shows and not have their experience marred by those who have already watched the program.

 TV Everywhere Study Chart 4

The ability to facilitate a shared experience is yet another quality that helps to earn traditional TV its preferred status for many consumers, so much so that 34% of consumers completely agree that they choose to experience content their TV sets because they can view easily with friends and family.

Viewers Let Content Be Their Guide

What makes viewers look elsewhere, outside of the high-quality, social, easy and preferred experience of traditional TV? It is an insatiable appetite for content. The majority of streamers turn to network sites/apps and streaming services simply because they cannot find all TV shows on one service (54%). Similarly, nearly half use multiple services because they are looking to expand the variety of TV content available to them. The desire for more content choices, combined with the flexibility of watching content on-demand accounts for the majority of the appeal of streaming. So while the vast amount of viewers love their TV set, many are flirting with other options primarily to increase their selection and control their content choices.

When it comes to watching video content, for a sizeable portion of the population TV viewing is not an “either/or” proposition. While viewers will gravitate to the most relevant platform based on their most immediate needs and circumstances, it is important to note that audiences are increasingly evolving and personalizing their viewing experiences. As viewers look for new ways to “turbocharge” their experience, they will incorporate additional platforms in addition to the TV set to enhance programs with additional content, information and conversation.  

TV Everywhere Study Chart 5

TV or Not TV

While it is obvious that we are in the midst of a rapid transformation, whereby behavior is changing at unprecedented rate, it also seems clear that viewers have not completely abandoned the TV set in search of new ways to feed their content cravings. The fact that viewers still enjoy the habitual nature of television would suggest that future changes in behavior will be more evolutionary than revolutionary. With this progression will come more content that will be competing for viewing attention – both live and on demand, from a set-top-box and from the cloud. Which means the question still remains – how will greater access and options impact the time spent watching (what we currently) call network or cable TV?

The question really strikes at the definition of television – what is TV, where does it begin and end? Perhaps we can envision a time where all video devices, big and small, will be considered TV devices. Potentially, what we call “over the top” will just be another way of watching TV. These questions will likely be answered over the next few years or even sooner, but what seems very clear right now is that the multiplying number of programming options will perpetually fragment the audience for video.

In this near future scenario, re-aggregating audiences will likely be a critical consideration for most advertisers. Audiences will continue to splinter between a growing number of choices, and will also accumulate over longer periods of time, stretching over days and weeks as they exert even more control over when they want to see content.

While this trend is often perceived as being negative, it is also filled with possibility. But to fully take advantage of these possibilities, advertisers and content providers will need to fully embrace and understand what programs audiences are interested in, and how, when and where they want to experience that content as well. More creative ways to extend viewers’ love affair with their TV sets are needed as audiences flirt with other ways of accessing content. In doing so, both programmers and advertisers can develop stronger and deeper connections with audiences as they migrate across the multitude of devices – allowing viewers to be engaged with programming and brand messaging virtually all of the time.

About Interpret LLC
Interpret is the leading cross-media market research firm. The company applies proprietary, cutting-edge methodologies and extensive category knowledge to help clients plan, test, and measure business strategies in the fast-evolving media landscape. Interpret’s unique combination of syndicated measurement products and custom market research services provides a common language across media for the key stakeholders of the digital age.

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The Shift in Time-Shifted Viewing

July 26, 2012 | by aharris

Today’s guest blog post is from Rob Bienes of Discovery Communications’ Ad Sales Research team.

With the increase in DVR penetration, it would be natural to expect to see more time-shifted viewing and more fast-forwarding through commercial breaks.  However, when Discovery Communications examined prime time viewing for the first four months of 2012, we were surprised to find that that was not necessarily the whole story. The impact of time shifting on individual hit entertainment programs is significant and in line with expectations but, for broadcasters, the impact of video on demand (with fast-forwarding disabled) is helping to retain C3 audience in spite of increases in time-shifted viewing.

Time-Shifted Viewing Continues to Increase Overall; Sport and News Maintain Their Live Viewing
With late adopters finally signing up for DVR services, household penetration is at an all-time high of 43%, up from 40% in 2011 (Source: Nielsen DVR Estimate Penetration, May 2012). As DVR penetration goes, so goes time-shifted viewing; over the same period ad-supported cable time-shifted viewing increased from 11% to 14% and broadcast, at double that growth rate, increased from 24% to 30%.

Cable networks such as AMC, Discovery, History, ABC Family, Lifetime & Syfy have 20-23% of total prime audience time shift, with MTV at 30%, and Bravo leading the pack at 32%. Original, water cooler programs are the biggest drivers of time-shifted viewing. For top cable programs, the percent of total audience that is time shifted can be 40% and higher. AMC’s hits, Mad Men (62%) and The Walking Dead (52%), and Bravo’s signature Real Housewives franchises (more than 50%) and Top Chef (62%) have some of the highest levels of time shifting across all of cable.

In contrast, news and sports programming continue to be watched live. For news networks, 93% of viewers watch live and for sports networks 94% watch live. Other networks that had a high proportion of viewers watching live were TBS and TNT. A closer look into the programming on these nets shows that their live viewing is a result of sports and acquired off-net shows, which typically are less time shifted.

Moreover, time shifting continues to be a double-edged sword – bringing an upside in audience potential, but leading to reduced commercial retention. With DVRs, half of the commercials are skipped during playback. Not surprisingly, Bravo and MTV stand out as being the most time-shifted networks with the lowest commercial retention. Both networks commercial audience is more than 20% below their program audience (index is below 80 for commercial retention). This is even lower than the broadcast networks, which have an index in the mid 80s.

Time-Shifted Viewing - Chart 1

When Does Playback Occur?
While time-shifted viewing is defined as the difference between Live and Live+7 program audience, we did look at when playback actually occurs. Most playback happens within the first three days as Nielsen’s Live+3 data stream makes up 98-100% of the total viewing for 75 of the 86 cable nets. All of the big four broadcast networks have more than 96% of viewing occur within the first three days. The same pattern holds when looking at commercial data. For 83 of 86 cable networks and the top four broadcasters, 98-100% of the total commercial viewing happens within the first three days.

For individual programming, the proportion of time-shifted viewing beyond the third day is more significant. These programs deliver a bonus for advertisers paying based on the C3 metric. Both USA’s White Collar and AMC’s Mad Men experience a 7% increase in commercial viewing for days four through seven.

Time-Shifted Viewing - Chart 2

Has Commercial Retention Declined?
Fortunately, for cable as a whole, commercial retention has changed little in 2012 compared to 2011 although a few cable networks with hit entertainment programming did experience declines in commercial retention. AMC retained 88% of their program audience during breaks in 2011, but only 83% in 2012. Original breakout hits Mad Men and The Walking Dead drove the decreases in commercial retention. ABC Family also had weaker commercial retention due to high time shifting on The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Pretty Little Liars.

Time-Shifted Viewing - Chart 3

Surprisingly, the top four broadcast nets’ overall average commercial retention has barely changed since last year. ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC have seen commercial retention remain the same, even as time-shifted viewing for these networks grew five points to an all-time high of 30% in 2012.

Time-Shifted Viewing - Chart 4

Broadcast’s ability to retain C3 audience over the past year may be a result of their recent transition to the VOD platform for their more successful programming. VOD is being made available immediately after air and with full commercial loads. This viewing is being included in Nielsen’s C3 audience for the first time beginning this broadcast year. Since fast forwarding is being disabled by the distributors, broadcast is able to gain the additional time shifted viewing without losing commercial audience.

One way to test this finding was to look at non-DVR households for 2011 and 2012 and verify whether or not the broadcast networks experienced an increase in their time-shifted viewing. The broadcast networks did in fact have year-over-year growth in their time-shifted viewing for non-DVR households.

Time-Shifted Viewing - Chart 5

Download a full summary of Discovery Communications time-shifted viewing research.

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Online Ratings: A First Step Toward More Comparable Media Decisions

July 10, 2012 | by aharris

Today’s guest blog post is from David Ernst of Discovery Communications’ Ad Sales Research team. 

Recently, both Nielsen and comScore have introduced new online ratings capabilities to advertisers for the evaluation of digital campaigns. These moves are designed to deliver on the promise of putting online advertising on a more level playing field with other media, especially television.

Since the early days of the Internet, major advertisers decried the lack of comparable metrics in the digital space. The demand for online rating points has been echoing throughout the industry, primarily because it would enable a more consistent approach to planning and evaluation of online offerings alongside other media types.

So, after more than a decade, the two major Internet audience measurement services have developed metrics to answer the call by advertisers. But, while these metrics represent a first step toward true comparability, more data and information still are needed to fully understand the value of exposure to advertising across different platforms.

When it comes to inter-media comparisons – a rating point is not a rating point. A rating point only represents an “opportunity to see” a video or ad and does not provide a measure of the depth and quality of the experience. In that respect, ratings are a one-dimensional measure of value.

As Zach Rodgers and David Kaplan asserted in April, “Users watch all kinds of video in all kinds of ways and the GRP doesn’t begin to measure the value of something that has been shared on Facebook by a friend or whether it was seen randomly and somewhat absently.”

Despite some of these limitations, several agencies are looking to potentially develop guarantees with these ratings. While it makes sense to bring a ‘currency’ into the digital buy/sell equation, the new metrics are perhaps a little problematic when online ratings are used alone as an adjunct to TV ratings to guarantee a cross-platform video buy. Dislocations will likely occur in the online video marketplace as the market adjusts to a more commodity-like view of the value of video impressions, driven by TV-based valuations.

The online ratings developed by Nielsen and comScore offer relative comparability but, by themselves, fall short of a true estimate of the value and effectiveness of a video’s exposure in different environments and across different devices. When evaluating video delivery, there are still many reasons to consider value based on number of factors, not just a singular estimate of gross audience delivery.  None the least of these factors is that the interactive nature of digital video offers a value not currently available in comparable TV impressions. In addition, better measures are needed to assess the depth of engagement and advertising effectiveness across platforms.

With the development of ratings that can be used as a currency to substantiate online delivery, the industry has made very important progress toward greater accountability in evaluating digital ad campaigns… but the road to accountability is not complete. Online ratings are an important piece of, but on their own fall short of being, a comprehensive solution to questions of cross-platform comparability.

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Defining Success for Brands Through Social Media

June 11, 2012 | by aharris

Today’s guest blog post is from David Ernst, Kerry O’Brien and Pam Pearce on Discovery Communications’ Ad Sales Research team, with special thanks to the Discovery Research and Social Media teams. You can also read about the study detailed below in MediaPost’s coverage.

Influencer QuoteWhile brands of all sizes grapple to determine the payout of social investments – from human capital to advertising, new research conducted by Discovery Communications (download the full research report) examines consumer uses of social media and individual motivations that sheds some light on how brands can better leverage social media to meet their business goals.

Before digging into the results of our study, it’s important to acknowledge that there are multiple ways to measure social media effectiveness, each tied to specific goals. At Discovery, social media plays an important role across functions: marketing, communications, digital media, ad sales and production, to name a few. A solid social strategy will put the consumer at the center, delivering experiences and engagements that offer value to fans while advancing functional goals. For example:

  • One of our primary objectives is to deliver innovative and targeted solutions for advertisers. Recently, we partnered with Toyota for our What Not to Wear Keep It or Toss It Facebook and online app. The app, which allows fans of the show to upload outfits and source advice from fellow fashionistas, not only meets our audience filter but was also a perfect fit for the 2012 Camry’s reinvention-themed campaign. Our Facebook and online footprints and ability to deliver an engaging experience was a win-win.
  • Shifting attention to programming, social media is more than just a companion to linear TV viewership. In our case, fan commentary on social media can often help us create new content, as Discovery Channel has done with Gold Rush and Deadliest Catch. Social editions of both shows, editing in carefully placed viewer Tweets with previously aired episodes, breathe new life into programming and, in our case, generate strong ratings and deepen audience engagement.

These are just two examples of clear ROI that don’t necessarily fall cleanly within dashboard metrics.

However, taking a deeper look at harder stats, our recent study found that 97% of people who follow brands on social platforms pay attention to their messaging…at least sometimes. So what can brands do to increase the chances that their fans and friends of fans will pay attention to them? In our Discovery Research survey of the company’s influencer panel (casual to frequent viewers who have opted in to preview programming, etc.) we aimed to find out which brands “are getting it right” when it comes to social media.

The results showed that businesses are best served by focusing social media strategies on selective audiences to amplify results, realizing intimacy trumps mass-messaging in this medium. According to our study, the “universe” of social influencers begins with the four in 10 who say that they “like” things to let their friends and family know about products and services they like. These active socials will in turn have an impact on the 29% who use social media to get recommendations about new products/programs. Brands that want to influence the influence, can design programs that target the active “likers” as a starting point, but realistically need to dig deeper to find those with affinity for the brand.

The responses from our influencer panel also revealed four key strategies that can drive success in social media:

  1. 1. Contests and Coupons
  2. 2. Humor Me!
  3. 3. Inside the Velvet Rope
  4. 4. Saving the World, One “Like” at a Time

Contests and Coupons
Incentives for discounts or the chance to win free products is a great way for a brand to elicit positive brand interactions on social media forums. Social media-only contests often include voting and/or poll elements that lead to more share ability for the brand and its messaging – encouraging fans to look to the social space for opportunities they cannot find anywhere else. However, care must be taken to not use such promotions to artificially inflate your footprint. As noted earlier, the best strategy is focusing on true fans and loyalists and growing your likes or followers should take quality into consideration. For example, TLC is partnering with Southwest Airlines to give away trips in conjunction with their new series, On the Fly, that profiles the airline’s operations and passengers.

Humor Me!
Social media users want to be entertained, and satisfying this desire means more opportunity to have brand messaging travel further and reach new audiences. Our panel gave us feedback and examples of entertaining posts by brands that included posting short video clips or sound bites, fun surveys and engaging and funny posts that are not commercially driven. Across our networks, we regularly share online-only aftershows immediately following premieres or film custom content for social featuring our talent answering fan questions, etc.

Inside the Velvet Rope
Granting users “insider status” by becoming a social media follower was often cited as a successful use of the social space. Our panelists like the way that some brands use social media to “let fans in on information” about new offerings and knowledge you “might not have found another way.” For entertainment brands, putting up exclusive videos and spoilers resonates well with users and is ripe for the re-sharing. In the case of What Not to Wear, TLC actually enlisted Facebook fans’ opinions during the production of an episode that premiered this week, allowing them to vote on outfits and hairstyles for the contributor.

WNTW Fuzzy Vest Keep or Toss

‘What Not to Wear’ Fans Voted During Film on Facebook

Saving the World, One “Like” at a Time
Another way brands can effectively engage and involve their fans is to use their social media platforms for pro-social campaigns. Empowering people through their “likes” and shares can help make a difference in areas such as pet adoption or finding cures for diseases provides multiple benefits – both increasing awareness for a brand, as well as serving to enhance the level of trust and meaning in a friend’s recommendation. With the U.S. premiere of Frozen Planet in March and April, Discovery Channel did just this by inviting viewers to check into the show on GetGlue and donating a dollar for each sticker unlocked to partner nonprofits.

As the majority of people on social media platforms are passive consumers, it is critical to identify, target and engage the active-socials, as these are the users that are driving the conversation and shaping the social media experiences of their more passive network of friends and family. Ultimately, brands are best served by growing this base knowing that their influence extends well beyond Facebook and Twitter to the real-world and real-life decisions.

Download the full Discovery Communications study.

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ISO: Daytime Viewers – Network Challenges & Opportunities

April 23, 2012 | by aharris

Today, we’re happy to share with you a new guest post from our colleagues in Ad Sales, taking a critical look at daytime television viewership.

By Joe Piccirillo, Vice President of Ad Sales Research

Daytime viewing had been a staple of broadcast network television since the 1950s, as soap operas littered the schedule; however, daytime soaps have declined in number. Just two years ago, broadcasters aired seven soaps and, by the end of the 2011-12 season, only four will be left. It would have been three, but General Hospital just received a last minute reprieve from ABC. Over the past decade, as the popularity of soap operas faded, broadcasters have either given up the time slots to local television affiliates or have tried to replace them with reality, cooking or talk shows. ABC has been the most bullish, launching two new shows this season (The Chew and The Revolution), but it was recently announced that The Revolution has been cancelled and will air its last episode in July. ABC’s The View, which premiered in 1997, is the last successful original daytime series launched by a broadcaster that remains on air. NBC smartly expanded its popular, long-running morning news magazine, The Today Show, into daytime (M-F, 9-11am) to compensate for falling ratings. ABC, CBS and NBC are collectively down 10% in Women 18-49 this season versus last.

Syndicated talk and game shows, and off-net sitcoms and dramas have been pervasive for decades in local television. Oprah Winfrey’s exit from daytime television in September 2011 opened opportunities for existing talk shows like Ellen and newcomer Anderson, with CNN newsman Anderson Cooper. This has also spurred Hollywood studios to produce new talk shows for the fall of 2012 – by last count, five new entries, including Katie with TV news veteran, Katie Couric.

New Investigation Discovery LogoAd-supported cable, with a mix of off-net programming, movies and prime/late original program repeats, is down 6% in Women 18-49 this season compared to last season. The only group of cable networks that is experiencing collective growth in the 2011-12 season to date are the networks with distribution under 65 million homes (+28%, spanning 21 networks). However, this group represents only 5% of the total ad-supported cable pie. There are a few fully distributed ad-supported cable networks that are enjoying growth this season with Women 18-49. FX (+20% with off-network sitcoms and movies); Lifetime (+14% with off-network dramas, sitcoms and reality); Investigation Discovery (+66% with original prime encores and news magazines); and TLC (+7% with original prime encores) are among the most successful.

According to Nielsen, live daytime television usage is experiencing a decline in the 2011-12 season – down 3% among Women 18-49 from last season and down 6% from two seasons ago. A contributing factor to the decline in usage is the increase of DVR playback of recorded programs from another time period, in most instances Primetime. DVR playback occurring during daytime has grown 6% in Women 18-49 from last season and 17% from two seasons ago. The number of DVR households has grown 23% from two years ago and are now in 42% of U.S. TV households.

Another likely reason for the decline in live daytime viewing is the increase in video game console usage. While only accounting for 3% of overall usage, video game console usage is up 49% from two seasons ago. Although Nielsen is unable to confirm it, the belief is that women are using the consoles to access online content from many different services. For example, Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE offers access to online content from Netflix, Hulu and YouTube, and they will soon be adding HBO GO, Xfinity and MLB.TV. The additions bring the total number of music, television and movie services available on Xbox LIVE to 36. Of the 66 million Xbox 360s that have been sold worldwide, more than 20 million people are paying subscribers of Xbox LIVE and can access the console’s myriad of entertainment services.

Daytime Blog Post Chart

Confirmation of this behavior comes from a recent analysis of USA Touchpoints data from Media Behavior Institute, which found that 22% of women 18-49 watched video via DVR, DVD, VOD or streaming video, and 24% used their TV for something other than live viewing (51% watched live TV). The study also found that 18% used social networking sites during the daytime hours.

With overall viewing down, advertisers will most likely be faced with a smaller supply of female impressions in daytime for the remainder of the 2011-12 season and quite possibly for the 2012-13 season, as well. With broadcast networks’ current daytime fare in a state of flux and as they relinquish real estate, there are opportunities for strong female-skewing networks like Investigation Discovery, Lifetime and TLC to work with their advertising partners to create innovative ideas to effectively reach daytime viewers.

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