Hey, remember premiere week? That time three weeks ago when all the networks were filled with optimism that this was gonna be their year?

Well, we finally know just how many people watched the shows that aired then, as Nielsen has released its first set of "live plus 7" ratings for the new season. The plus-7 ratings add people who watched a given show up to a week later to those who watched it the day it aired.

As has been the case since Nielsen started measuring DVR usage a couple years ago, shows that are popular with people in general are also popular with time-shifting viewers. The biggest gainer in terms of viewer numbers was Grey's Anatomy, which went from 18.47 million viewers in the same-day ratings to 21.16 million in the plus-7s (it also passed its network mate Desperate Housewives in the rankings, moving up from third to second overall).

That's about a 14.5 percent jump in total audience, which is pretty strong but not the best among the 20 shows I looked at to compare their ratings bumps. That honor goes to FOX's new series Fringe, which improved by more than 20 percent, from 9.4 million to 11.38 million. It still lost out to CBS' premiere of The Mentalist (16.79 million, up 8 percent from its same-day audience) in total viewers, but the gap was narrower.

The CW's 90210 also improved by close to 20 percent, although the raw numbers -- 2.94 million to 3.53 million -- aren't as impressive as some others. Other big gainers in percentage terms were NBC's Heroes (12.02 million, up 19 percent) and The Office (10.91 million, up 17 percent) and FOX's House (14.63 million, up 18 percent).

Number-cruncher extraordinaire James Hibberd has a handy chart of which shows gained the most in the adults 18-49 demographic that is the primary currency between networks and advertisers. As with the total-viewer numbers, 90210, Heroes and Fringe all benefited substantially in the plus-7s, as did shows like One Tree Hill, Bones and Lipstick Jungle.

On the flip side, not many people waited to watch The Simpsons, Family Guy or How I Met Your Mother; the three comedies only grew by 5 percent to 7 percent when DVR viewing was factored in. Ditto for Dancing with the Stars -- the Monday, Sept. 22 premiere was the week's most-watched show in both the same-day and plus-7 ratings, but it rose by only about 4 percent with delayed viewing.

That's still better than NBC's Sunday Night Football, which almost no one watched after its live airing on Sept. 28. It rose from 17.34 million to 17.35 million in the plus-7 ratings, a gain of .05 percent.

DVRs are in about 28 percent of homes now, up from 20 percent at the start of last season. That doesn't mean everyone who has one is using it, though: As Hibberd points out, the five broadcast networks got a combined 8.8 percent ratings bounce during premiere week, compared to 8.4 percent in the same week last year. That means that even with the plus-7 numbers factored in, ratings are still off a little bit compared to last season.

Here's a look at how the audience grew from the same-day to the plus-7 ratings for the week of Sept. 22-28:

• Dancing with the Stars (Monday): 21.34 million to 22.16 million (+3.8%)
• Grey's Anatomy: 18.47 million to 21.16 million (+14.5%)
• NCIS: 18.03 million to 19.36 million (+7.4%)
• The Mentalist: 15.6 million to 16.79 million (+7.6%)
• House: 12.38 million to 14.63 million (+18.2%)
• Heroes: 10.09 million to 12.02 million (+19.1%)
• Law & Order: SVU: 9.68 million to 10.9 million (+12.6%)
• Fringe: 9.42 million to 11.38 million (+20.7%)
• The Office: 9.34 million to 10.91 million (+16.8%)
• How I Met Your Mother: 9.79 million to 10.44 million (+6.5%)
• The Simpsons: 9.47 million to 9.94 million (+5%)
• Family Guy: 9.09 million to 9.68 million (+6.4%)
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: 5.89 million to 6.65 million (+12.9%)
• 90210: 2.94 million to 3.53 million (+19.9%)
• Gossip Girl: 3.33 million to 3.73 million (+12%)
• Supernatural: 3.18 million to 3.62 million (+13.9%)

What are you watching as it airs? What sits on your DVR for a few days?

Comments

Nice to see somebody actually taking the viewing habits of many of us into consideration. The old ways of doing things need changed, because too many good shows are getting axed because the morons in advertising and with the networks aren't paying attention to what's going on all around them. We're almost in the year 2009, and they're acting like this is 1969. Wake up, people; the rest of us already have.

Revenant | Oct 14, 2008 3:33:49 PM | #

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THis is great, maybe some of the fan favs will stand a better chance. Most people I know have certain times when they sit down to watch TV and catch up.

H< | Oct 14, 2008 3:50:25 PM | #

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The advertising "morons" shouldn't pay attention to these numbers. If your show is gaining a lot of viewers on dvr, you assume that at least that many didn't see your commercial.

dennis | Oct 14, 2008 5:09:10 PM | #

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Many people who watch recorded shows don't watch the commercials, so they shouldn't be counted in the ratings. In general, people are more exposed to commercials through live viewing.

Ratings aren't supposed to measure "fan favorites," they are designed to measure advertising value. Shows that don't get enough live viewing will still, rightfully, be canceled.

Ron | Oct 14, 2008 5:16:17 PM | #

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I don't agree. I think people do watch commercials and I on many occasions have stopped or replayed a commercial when it looks like something I may be interested in. The key here is to get advertisers to really target the audience better and to come up with eye catching commercials that viewers will want to watch.

eric | Oct 14, 2008 5:41:10 PM | #

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I have to agree with Eric. If I see something that catches my eye, I will watch the commercial.
TV viewing is going the way of cable anyways, TV networks need to be better at creating shows and retaining their viewers.

Juan | Oct 14, 2008 7:25:59 PM | #

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What I'm seeing more and more, especially among popular "time-shift" shows, are commercials where the product name is in big block letters at the top of the screen for the entire 15-30 seconds of the commercial. So even if you fast-forward past the commercial, you can still see the product name or the motion picture that's opening on Friday. So in other words, they're finding ways to get their message across - even to time-shifters.

Chuck Miller | Oct 14, 2008 7:30:07 PM | #

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I'd say 90% of the primetime TV I watch is on DVR.

JT | Oct 14, 2008 7:30:38 PM | #

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I don't dvr anything, because I don't own a dvr. I do all of my viewing live.

chad | Oct 14, 2008 7:51:46 PM | #

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for YEARS, I have always taped my shows with a VCR, and watched it while skipping commercials, how is it any different

aquaspider10 | Oct 14, 2008 7:58:17 PM | #

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for YEARS, I have always taped my shows with a VCR, and watched it while skipping commercials, how is it any different

aquaspider10 | Oct 14, 2008 7:58:18 PM | #

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Aquaspider -- it's no different, except that it's easier to measure now because it's digital.

There's a different set of numbers called "C3" that measures how commercials are watched up to 3 days after a show airs live. Haven't seen those yet, and if I can make any sense at all of those when they come out, I'll do another post. I had very little luck understanding them last year, or getting hold of someone who could, but I'll do my best.

Rick | Oct 14, 2008 8:28:38 PM | #

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wot about all the people who download these shows from torrent sites? not that i do that of course...

joits | Oct 14, 2008 10:16:36 PM | #

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It's about time *they* are
listening to the viewers!
JERICHO fans tried to tell CBS that it had more viewers, but they did nothing about it. Maybe some other good shows will be saved with this new way of counting viewers. Sure wish it could have saved JERICHO.
P.S. I watch HOUSE every week and when it airs. Only if I will not be home do I DVR anything.

Lisa | Oct 14, 2008 11:50:12 PM | #

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Only DVR if you're not home? Huh? Why have a DVR if you're not going to timeshift? Is it more fun to sit through 20 minutes of commercials? I DVR EVERYTHING! The networks can't control my scedule one little bit.

Tyler | Oct 15, 2008 3:05:44 AM | #

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I DVR all the shows that i want to see but can't because they are oposite other shows . I still have all 16 moonlight shows on my DVR and watch them all the time.

jamie | Oct 15, 2008 4:07:52 AM | #

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I agree with Eric and Juan, that I stop and watch commercials on my DVR if it's something I'm interested in. However, it's usually for another tv show or movie, not typically for a facial cleaners or beer or something. DVRs might actually change the way advertisers buy advertising, with tangible products advertising on the top live viewing timeslots and maybe entertainment-type advertising recognizing the added value in advertising shows that get DVR'd a lot. Just a thought.

andreaC | Oct 15, 2008 6:28:15 AM | #

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I don't watch anything live anymore except for sports. I DVR everything, no reason to watch commercials when I don't have to. 1 hour shows are only 45 minutes without commercials, that gives me more time to watch more shows.

AmyK | Oct 15, 2008 6:52:34 AM | #

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Acknowledging the DVR is a good first step, but the networks still haven't completely embraced the 21st century. For a true accounting of who is watching what, they also need to start keeping tabs of downloads - and I'm including the evil torrents in this, not such "sanctioned streaming". Not everyone has DVR (I don't even know if they're available for sale in my part of the world - I've never seen one and know no one who has one; ditto Tivo) and many download the shows if they miss them. I know myself I've had to make alternate arrangements for seeing both Heroes and Fringe this week because I was ill and unable to stay awake long enough to see either. But I will see them - my viewing should be counted. There should be a way of retroactively assigning viewership based upon purchase and rental of DVD releases as well.

Alex | Oct 15, 2008 6:57:58 AM | #

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I don't DVR the "ones" I can wait to watch. I DVR the shows that take more watchin-attention. Example, I can watch Pushing Daisies live because it's not necessary to hang on every word to know what's going on in the story.

I typically DVR Bones because I have to be able to go back if I don't catch a complex dialogue or miss a clue. This goes for Criminal Minds, Without a Trace, etc.

alia | Oct 15, 2008 7:46:37 AM | #

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My husband and I NEVER watch live TV. We DVR everything on two seperate boxes as to not miss any of the shows we enjoy. We never watch Ads or stop to see the latest commercial, its great this way we can enjoy the programming without having the latest blah, blah, blah, shoved down our throats.

C Gaddy | Oct 15, 2008 9:47:54 AM | #

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The only show I watch live is Supernatural. All else, DVR.

Kathy B. | Oct 15, 2008 9:55:50 AM | #

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I watch all my shows on the dvr. Living in Boston, and being a big sports fan. I watch my celtics, red sox, and pats live. Watching shows on dvr is quicker, ff right through thoose commericals, its the best! I never miss any live action of my championship winning teams

Jordan | Oct 15, 2008 10:03:49 AM | #

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I read that they did a study on DVR users and commercial retention and found that even though they fast forward through the commercial, they actually remember the advertisments better because they are more focued. They have to know when to push play again, so they are actually really paying attention to the commercials.

Dee | Oct 15, 2008 10:16:48 AM | #

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What about taking things like Hulu into consideration now as well.
I can see some of the top rated shows there (of new shows) sure does not match Nielsens old ways.
(PS: yes, Fringe is hot on Hulu also...surprise...I am happy to say that show will get another season...hooray)

Openedge1 | Oct 15, 2008 10:35:05 AM | #

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