Primetime TV Viewing Habits, 2004 vs 2008 vs 2012 [CHART]

Chart - Primetime TV Viewing Habits, 2004 vs 2008 vs 2012

Recent research from Nielsen has shown that DVR usage represents a growing chunk of TV time, and a new study from GfK appears to confirm that this is the case for the primetime viewing habits of 18-49-year-olds. Among the 56% of respondents who reported using a TV set “yesterday” during the 8-9PM hour, 26% said they spent that time watching a recorded program. That’s up from 16% in 2008. At the same time, the percentage saying they watched a live network program has dropped from 83% to 64% in that time period.

Ratings figures bear this trend out. A recent TVB study, along with a New York Times analysis, found that factoring in time-shifting significantly widens broadcast ratings. And new figures from Nielsen (as reported by Media Life Magazine) reveal that during the first 2 weeks of this season, the Big Five networks saw an average 30% boost in 18-49 ratings when figuring in live-plus-seven-day viewership. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.