The New York Times takes a look at how time-shifting is impacting consumer behavior and the way the industry analyzes television ratings.
The article looks at ABC’s immensely popular “Modern Family” as an example: “No other show on television comes close to that comedy in adding 18- to 49-year-old viewers who record shows and watch them later. So far this season, new episodes of ‘Modern Family’ have grown from a first-day average of 7.1 million viewers in that age group to 10.2 million, counting seven days’ worth of added viewing — a gain of 3.1 million each week, according to Nielsen Research.”
However, time-shifters are not currently including in calculating the overnights.
According to Charles Kennedy, head of research for ABC, the overnights still “set the tone and the agenda” at the networks, influencing marketing and programming decisions.
He adds: “we’ve had to build in this fudge factor,” Kennedy said, “when we know — at least with shows that already have a track record — that the total number will be significantly higher.”
What matters most for networks and advertisers at the end of the season in May, “is the ranking of shows once digital video recorder playback is included in the viewership totals.”
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