Two-Thirds (62%) of Consumers Have Watched Primetime TV Series through Time-Shifted Technology → On Demand Weekly

Two-Thirds (62%) of Consumers Have Watched Primetime TV Series through Time-Shifted TechnologyAugust 17, 2010

Time-Shifting and On Demand TV use continue to rise according to Comcast's annual TV Pulse Survey (8/17/10).

PRESS RELEASE

COMCAST’S ANNUAL “TV PULSE SURVEY” SHOWS THE DRAMA GENRE AND NEW HAWAII FIVE-O ARE THE MOST-ANTICIPATED ‘WHAT TO WATCH’ THIS FALL TV SEASON

Time-Shifted Technology Usage Up More Than 60% from a Year Ago and 80% from Three Years Ago

Two-Thirds (62%) of Consumers Have Watched Primetime TV Series through Time-Shifted Technology 80+% of Consumers Regularly Watch Live Primetime Television

The fall TV season is nearly here and that means America’s favorite shows will soon be back on the air. With the fall season heating up in the coming weeks, Comcast announced the findings of its second annual “TV Pulse Survey,” an independent nationwide survey* conducted by International Communications Research, that revealed America’s most-anticipated new and returning primetime series. The survey also discovered that more consumers than ever before plan to watch their favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere using time-shifting technologies such as, video-on-demand (VOD), digital video recorders (DVRs) and the Internet.

"Time-shifting has hit the mainstream and is changing the way people watch TV,” said Diana Kerekes, Vice President of Entertainment Services for Comcast. “The results of our ‘TV Pulse Survey’ underscore more consumers are watching their favorite shows when and how they want to watch them."

Time-Shifting

While more than 80 percent of consumers state they regularly watch primetime television, and 80 percent plan to watch it live, consumers are also using time-shifting technologies. More than two-thirds of consumers (62 percent) have watched primetime TV series through technologies that include VOD, DVR and the Internet. Time-shifted viewing is on the rise with 61 percent using these technologies more than one year ago, and 84 percent using them more than just three years ago.

More and more consumers are using various platforms when watching TV, and this fall, they’re planning to turn to a wide variety of time-shifting technologies. Interestingly, among Comcast customers, On Demand usage for watching TV series this fall is significantly more than the average primetime viewer.

National Consumers Planned Viewing This Fall Comcast Customers Planned Viewing This Fall

Top reasons consumers are using time-shifting technologies include personal schedules (79 percent) and programming conflicts (63 percent).

New Fall TV Season Shows
Half of consumers polled (49 percent) say the new fall TV season is important to them. This is especially true among those who are under age 55, are female and have children in the household. “Serious” trumps “smiles” as consumers are most excited to watch:

Dramas (75 percent)
Comedies (68 percent)
Movies (57 percent)
News/Educational (50 percent)
Sports (45 percent)
Reality shows (38 percent)

When asked about several of the new TV series that are creating the most buzz, consumers ranked the following shows in order of preference, including: