Ratings and TV Viewing Habits

I recently had a nice Twitter discussion regarding “Live+DVR” ratings. Don’t worry; it was really a good discussion, meaning “positive”.

One twitterer said that people's viewing habits have changed and they don't need to watch it live.

Exactly!! I know our lives have changed. TV isn’t really a priority in this house. As a result, I brought up another fact ... 

Certain shows are on during a “normal” workweek (i.e.: Monday-Friday) and some people work. I know ... what a shock! But, they do. Shifts can vary depending on where you work, or your industry:

7am-7pm (might not get home until AFTER 8pm depending on situation, traffic, etc)

7pm-7am (they're working during some shows, obviously)

3pm-11pm (again, working)

2pm-10pm (see above)

1pm-9pm (do I even need to say it?)

11pm-7am (might be sleeping to work said schedule, that's not that uncommon)

[FYI: We’re the 7am to 7pm Sunday, Monday, Tuesday people. Normally we don’t get home until 7:35-7:55pm, and then we fix dinner. We’re done with dinner by 9pm. There goes the 8pm viewing hour. Usually we’re too tired to watch TV, so we head upstairs to bed and are asleep between 9:30pm to 11pm.]

In addition, some people have obligations before and/or after work that takes priority over TV. TV viewing takes a “back-seat” or “back-burner” to real life. I know ... what a thought, right? That’s life and it happens.

As DVRs become commonplace in households, in addition to online viewing, viewer habits will change. It’s a fact of life. Some people wait to get the whole season of a show on DVD months after the finale, that way they can have marathon viewings without commercial interruption. I’ve done that myself. I still do.

Some households, like us, watch TV shows on our days off. Now, depending on your days off that can be the next day, or several days later (i.e.: Tuesday to Saturday is 4 days). That is why we LOVED having a DVR when we had cable/satellite service – watch on our schedule.

Now, we’re down to a few shows (I’d say 2-3 steady ones), so we can watch online or catch up with DVDs. TV isn’t a priority in our home anymore.

Also ... we don't like commercials. So, the “live” count would be off any way.

I’ll be honest – I got spoiled watching seasons 1-6 of NCIS during the summer of 2010. Since I didn't have cable at the time, I ordered the DVDs and I watched them without commercials.

Try as I might, I can’t watch it (or any show) with commercials. In addition ... I HATE 2-parters.

I know their purpose, but I hate the “TO BE CONTINUED ...” right at the good part of the episode. I have to wait another week for a conclusion? Are you kidding me? What if my power goes out, what if my TV goes out … you get the idea?

So ... it’s either DVR or DVD viewing for me. That way I can see parts one (1) and two (2) all at once. I get the “TO BE CONTINUED ...” line, and then I get the next episode second or minutes later.

That’s my right though! That doesn’t mean I’m NOT watching the show. I just have my preferences and today’s “technology” indulges me in them.

“GfK report, How People Use® Media: Over-the-Top TV 2013, the weekly streaming audience for TV and movies in the US has risen from 37% three years ago to 48% in 2012, and edged over the halfway point in the past year.” (This release  http://www.gfk.com/us/news-and-events/press-room/press-releases/Pages/Streaming-Video-Weekly-Study.aspx indicated 51% of Americans now watch TV online).

Half of the populace is now watching online? That’s an interesting fact and research right there. That means that perhaps ratings for shows might be even higher.

While it’s good to know the ratings for a show (and I think we all know which one that might have “spawned” the talk), the ratings don't mean everything. I think too few people are causing too MUCH of a stink over too little of nothing.

Oh, another thing I forgot … the “DEMO” numbers! How silly of me …

The “DEMO” is 18-49. But, we all know that our country’s “populace” is getting older (50+), and some are under 18.

According to the 2012 census …

Persons under 18 accounted for 23.5% of the population, persons 65+ accounted for 13.7%. That is roughly 37.2% of the population outside the DEMO age. And, there are the 50-64 ages not accounted for in the population count either.

“In 2011, the oldest baby boomers—Americans born between 1946 and 1964—will start to turn 65. Today, 40 million people in the United States are ages 65 and older, but this number is projected to more than double to 89 million by 2050. Although the “oldest old”—those ages 85 and older—represent only 15 percent of the population ages 65 and older today, their numbers are projected to rise rapidly over the next 40 years (see Figure 1, page 3). By 2050, the oldest old will number 19 million, over one-fifth of the total population ages 65 and older.” (Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, and Mather, 2008).

By 2050, one-fifth will be over 65. The “DEMO” only covers to 49. That’s a 16 year gap that hasn’t been counted.

“According to Census Bureau estimates, in 2019, when the last of the baby boomers (those born between 1949 and 1964) have reached age 55, nearly twenty-nine percent of the total United States population will be age 55 and older, compared with twenty-one percent today”. That is according to the American Association of  Community Colleges.

So, take 21% (55 and older; but that still doesn’t account for 50-54 though) and 23.5% for those UNDER 18, you’ve got around 44.5% of the population OUTSIDE the DEMO group. Could that possibly have an effect on the numbers? 

Adding that in to the fact some people work during the telecasts, it’s a wonder there are such high numbers of viewers as it is.

Another sneaky thing? Some people delete others’ shows BEFORE they can view them, either out of meanness or due to DVR space. I knew someone who would delete their child’s programs if they over-filled the DVR and caused a conflict with their programs. So, that “program” might not get viewed at all.

There are SO many scenarios surrounding the ratings and “demo” numbers that they’re more of what you call guidelines than facts.  They, like many things, are simply a “tool” that guides the networks and producers in their jobs.

That’s just my thought on the matter.

The end result –

“People’s TV viewing habits have changed” … and some never did change.

REFERENCES:

50+ Population. (n.d.). 50+ Population. Retrieved May 19, 2014, from http://plus50.aacc.nche.edu/employers/popualation/Pages/default.aspx

51% of Total US Population Watches Streaming Video Weekly -- New GfK Study. (n.d.). 51% of Total US Population Watches Streaming Video Weekly -- New GfK Study. Retrieved May 19, 2014, from http://www.gfk.com/us/news-and-events/press-room/press-releases/Pages/Streaming-Video-Weekly-Study.aspx

Jacobsen, L. A., Kent, M., Lee, M., & Mather, M. (2008). America’s Aging Population. Population Bulletin, 66(1), 2. Retrieved May 19, 2014, from http://www.prb.org/pdf11/aging-in-america.pdf

USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (n.d.). USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 19, 2014, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html

[NOTE: I do not own any of the art. The pictures were found during a Google search]