Spotlight Feature: DVR's Are Changing the Way Americans Watch TV

By Frank Macek

It's no secret DVRs have been changing the way Americans watch TV. The real news is how fast it's happening.

People are increasingly watching TV on their own schedules, instead of the broadcasters. The good news is Americans are watching more TV than ever before.

According to a new report by Nielsen, 30.6 percent of households in Nielsen's National People Meter Panel now have a DVR as of March 2009...that is up from 12.3 percent in January 2007.

This can be contributed to the integration of DVRs into cable and satellite boxes. Standalone DVRs accounted for only 5% of this amount. Many households have more than 1 DVR...25% had two...5% had 3 or more in their homes.

The report also found programs recorded between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. were played back within the same day more often than those airing at 10 p.m. Therefore, DVR playback may have impacted live viewership of programs at 10 p.m. and later, including late news.

The highest playback times during the week occurred during prime Monday through Thursday, then fell to its lowest level on Saturday evening. Playback during the day Saturday and Sunday was greater than on weekdays, as viewers used the weekend to catch up.

Also because DVR users watched more original telecasts of series than non-DVR users, they were less likely to watch previously unseen episodes. This has implications for the programming of reruns in the summer as networks are being faced to air original content year round.

You can download and read the entire report from Nielsen: CLICK HERE

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