Search »

Nielsen: DVR Users Really Do Watch More TV

Adults with DVRs in the home actually do watch more TV, at least according to a new client advisory from Nielsen.

The advisory would seem to back up the claims of broadcast networks that DVR users watch more TV, finding that adults with DVRs watched on average 6 hours and 14 minutes of live prime time content per week, plus an additional 1 hour and 49 minutes in playback mode, according to MediaPost.

That marks a 29 percent increase over non-DVR users. In contrast, a study released last week by Mediamark Research seemed to show that adults in DVR households are 23 percent less likely to be heavy TV viewers.

In total-day viewing, 18-49-year-olds watched an average of 25 hours and 9 minutes per week of live viewing, plus 3 hours and 54 minutes time-shifted - a 16 percent increase - according to the report. Ninety-five percent of DVR users tend to use them every week. Tuesday - an American Idol night - is the night that generates the most usage.

TiVo has offered a new service measuring second-by-second behavior. Last week, NBC Universal’s president of television research Alan Wurtzel urged advertisers not to make judgments about DVR behavior based on anything other than Nielsen reports, including the TiVo service, saying that while Nielsen’s measurements weren’t perfect, they still provide the most accurate gauge.