Report: Digital recording device viewing improving b'casters

Fox's "Fringe" has proven a great deal of traction in Digital recording device houses. Digital recording device viewing is really a boon towards the broadcast systems. That's among the conclusions inside a report released Wednesday by influential Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson of Nomura Investments.Within an analysis of Digital recording device viewing in the last 4 years, Nathanson discovered that the split of viewing between broadcast and cable nets is almost 50-50 among Digital recording device customers, in comparison to some 75%-25% split in support of cablers for live viewing. The Television biz's change in 2008 from live program rankings to so-known as C3 rankings -- rankings for advertisements on live broadcasts in addition done within 72 hours of Digital recording device playback -- because the currency to promote deals has additionally been a positive thing for tv stations, Nathanson argues. Audiences often stay with the advertisements running in broadcast network programming much more than most cablers."The change to C3 measurement, together with the ongoing rollout of DVRs, will enhance the relative positioning from the broadcast systems -- and also the conglomerates that own them -- and certain cable systems which have built appointment viewing," he authored. It is also supplying a lifeline for shows like Fox's "Fringe" that deliver modest amounts live but they are popular in Digital recording device houses.The lift supplied by the extra 72 hours of playback within the C3 measure has considerably slowed down the speed of decline in grown ups 18-49 rating for that Large Four. And also the area of Digital recording device viewing within the total 18-49 rankings keeps growing in a fast clip, as Digital recording device transmission grows. Based on Nielsen, 42% of U.S. TV homes have DVRs, up from 38% last season.Within the 2008-09 season, grown ups 18-49 C3 rankings for that Large Four were up 3% over live rankings within the same measure last season, the C3 amounts were up 9.7%.Remarkably, Nathan's research also signifies that less Digital recording device customers are utilizing the device's commercial-missing feature -- a technology which was once viewed as the dying-knell of advertising supported TV. Based on Nathanson, 58.8% of programs viewed via Digital recording device playback involved commercial missing within the 2007-8 season by last season, that number had dropped to 50.7% Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com