How
many of you can say that you actually sit down and watch your favorite
television shows during their live air time? I can honestly say that I almost
never do. With the creation of DVR and the On-Demand function it isn't uncommon
for viewers to watch their favorite programs two-three days after they air live
on their networks. Especially college students and adults who work late, it is
extremely difficult to find time to sit down on the couch and watch a program
that is on at 8 or 9 o’clock. DVR and
On-Demand changed the way audiences watch television. “DVR and other
recent advances in technology are fundamentally changing TV-viewing patterns.”
(Watson). DVR and On-Demand aren't just
changing the way people watch TV but how as well. There are many more channels
to choose from and with on-demand apps of certain networks you are able to
watch television shows right on your computer, smart phone, or tablet.
Over 43 million
households currently have DVR players (TVB.org). This shows that not only do
many people choose to watch TV on their own time but that our technology has
advanced drastically over the past decade. As we grow with the times, new forms
of media are created to help change and improve our lifestyles. In the case of
the On-Demand and DVR functions, it reflex the way we as Americans live. Since
we tend to be ‘fast-paced, impatient, lazy’ individuals, it was about time
someone came up with these devices and programs. The major networks, including
FOX, CBS, NBC, and ABC, all have the On-Demand function. FioS and Comcast, the
major cable systems, all include this function in their monthly packages. “One
reason on-demand usage has increased is precisely because it has been made
available for free or a relatively low monthly fee.” (Van Duyn). On-Demand
functions are free online when you visit the networks sites, as well as through
their iphone apps. This makes it possible for audiences to be able to watch
television shows on the go.
Not only can we watch a lot of TV whenever we want but we don’t have to sit through many commercials anymore; another important and controversial function of the DVR and ON-Demand functions. “Users say they love having the ability to stop or rewind live TV, record two shows at once and -- most of all -- skip over the commercials when watching a show later.” (Watson). This brings up a bigger problem that the networks are trying to deal with; advertising. When dealing with DVR the networks don’t really have the capability to make the audience watch advertisements and commercials, however on On-Demand they do. Some networks choose not to show commercials during their on-demand programs while others have 30 second intermissions throughout.
Not only can we watch a lot of TV whenever we want but we don’t have to sit through many commercials anymore; another important and controversial function of the DVR and ON-Demand functions. “Users say they love having the ability to stop or rewind live TV, record two shows at once and -- most of all -- skip over the commercials when watching a show later.” (Watson). This brings up a bigger problem that the networks are trying to deal with; advertising. When dealing with DVR the networks don’t really have the capability to make the audience watch advertisements and commercials, however on On-Demand they do. Some networks choose not to show commercials during their on-demand programs while others have 30 second intermissions throughout.
Because they know that many audience viewers
are not thrilled to have to watch commercials, networks are trying to gear some
of their advertisements towards their target audience. For example if someone
were to watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E!, they might witness 30
second spots of a shampoo commercial or a fashion brand. “Addressable ad
technologies that can serve ads targeted to specific demographic groups are
becoming another major focus.” (Winslow). With the ability for advertisements to
target their specific audience a lot easier with the on-demand programs, many
networks are gaining interest from advertisers as well as gaining more money
from these programs. “…a significant amount of interest from advertisers
because it allows them to both target their messages and have better control
over campaigns.” (Winslow). Some networks
still choose to let their viewers watch un-commercialized programs, in which
case they could be losing a great deal of profits yet possibly gaining more viewers.
Ever since DVR and On-Demand began to flourish, people have not watched television the same. Even just 10 years ago, families would gather together to watch programs because there was no other way for them to watch them. Sometimes a show gets more viewers on DVR then they do during the live broadcast. “When you contrast these playback shares to the live audience shares, you really get the picture of how the DVR has enhanced the competitive position of the broadcast networks. The broadcast networks 64% of playback far exceeds their 38% share of live viewing” (Poltrack). This is where the networks still struggle with the advertising ordeal due to the fact that with DVR you are allowed to fast forward through the commercials. One of television’s most popular new shows exceeds over every other program with number of DVR viewers. “Modern Family, the program with the highest playback audience, adds about 8 million viewers to its 10 million live audience base.” (Poltrack). Nashville and New Girl are among the other popular shows with a high percent increase in DVR viewings. (Kondolojy)
ReplyDeleteDVR and On-Demand viewing are just some of the many advances in technology we have experienced in our society over the past decade. It will continue to grow and improve as technology keeps advancing. Imagine what is going to come next!
Work Citied
Kondolojy, Amanda. "'Modern Family' Again Leads Adults 18-49 Ratings & Viewership Gains; 'Nashville' Earns Biggest Percentage Increase in Week 18 Categories: 1-Featured,Top DVR TV Shows." TV By the Numbers. N.p., 11 Feb. 2013. Web.
Poltrack, David. "The Outlook for the Broadcast Networks." UBS 39TH ANNUAL GLOBAL MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE (2011): n. pag. Web. .
Van Duyn, Aline. "Demand Grows for 'on-demand' TELEVISION ADVERTISING : New Advertising Models Are Sought as Viewers Finally Switch to On- Demand Television." Financial Times (2006): n. pag. Proquest. Web. .
Watson, Stephen. "DVRs Are Changing TV Viewing Patterns: 16 Percent of Area Time Warner Subscribers Have Them, and Many More Are Getting Them." Buffalo Times(2007): n. pag. Proquest. Web. http://search.proquest.com/docview/381859085
Winslow, George. "On-demand ads finally ready for their close-up: dynamic VOD ad insertion could be in 40 million homes by 2013." Broadcasting & Cable12 Nov. 2012: 20. General OneFile. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CA310651160&v=2.1&u=a13qu&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&authCount=1
"A Report on the Growth and Scope of Television." Tvb.org. N.p., June-July 2012. Web < http://www.tvb.org/media/file/TV_Basics.pdf>
I completely agree with Stefanie when she shares that she rarely ever watches television shows during their actual air time. The creations of the DVR and On-Demand have changed the television industry completely. We no longer need to rush home to catch the latest episode of a TV show or sit through minutes of commercials. As Stefanie stated, we are able to watch these television shows on certain devices at any given time. These new viewing abilities have become so popular that changes needed to be made in different television measurements. Nielsen shared that, “…because viewers now have multiple screens to choose from, we integrate audience measurement across TVs, PCs and mobile phones to help clients create precise cross-platform plans.” (Nielsen) If these additional devices weren’t accounted for, many factors for networks such as amount of viewers could be severely misjudged. Personally, I watch everything on my iPad whenever I have down time. Stefanie makes a good point that adults as well as college students have busy schedules and can’t work their days around a television show airing at a specific time. I know if that were the case, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with half of the shows I continue to watch religiously on my iPad each week.
ReplyDeleteNot only do I get to choose when to watch these shows but they have other beneficial features that Stefanie has touched upon as well. Apps on the iPad have limited commercials during shows and allow me to pause them whenever I chose to. DVRs even let you fast forward over commercials completely. Although we as consumers love these factors, Stefanie talks about a very important issue in the television industry which is advertising. Viewers are no longer watching television shows during live air time and therefore are avoiding all of the commercials. They’re watching shows on other devices and are experiencing 30 seconds clips of commercials or skipping them altogether. By cutting down on commercials the industry is losing profit.
Stefanie spoke about how networks are attempting to gear commercials towards their target audience in order to grab their attention and attract more viewers. When speaking about television viewing behavior Nielsen even shared that, “We can tell clients which commercials are being watched and which have the strongest engagement and impact. We even analyze which position in the program or commercial block is most effective for a specific brand.” (Nielsen) This feedback allows advertisers to adjust their commercials’ content as well as time they’re aired in order to really impact the viewer. It can help to make sure that viewers are paying attention to commercials and advertisers are getting the most for their money.
Poltrack even points out another battle television networks’ have to face in Outlook for the Broadcast Networks. “In total, collective playback exceeds the live Adult 18-49 audience of each of the four networks and the total audience of every network but CBS. For the broadcast and cable programmers, this means that they have to compete with another major competitive force in each primetime hour, playback of their own programming.” (Poltrack 30) DVRs and On-Demand have even made networks their own enemies. They are no longer competing against each other but competing against time. Whether viewers tune into a show live or watch it when they please, it is out of the television industry’s control. Although DVRs and On-Demand are causing these problems in the television industry they are great inventions for society. These devices make our everyday lives easier and more enjoyable. Technology is constantly changing and the industry is going to need to be able to adjust to these changes constantly over the years.
Nielsen. "Television Measurement." Worldwide. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013
Poltrack, David. "The Outlook for the Broadcast Networks." UBS 39TH ANNUAL GLOBAL
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE (2011): n. pag. Web. .
It is important to point out that given the busy schedules of working Americans, the viewing of television has strayed away from its tradition. With long work hours and other responsibilities, watching television would have to become a top priority just to keep up with certain shows on a regular basis. DVR and On-Demand have created a system where people can control what they want to view and when. No longer are people stuck with having to wait to watch their particular shows, because they can watch it on the computer, or on a tablet. This allows multiple people in a house to watch whatever they want without having to sit through family members or roommates show first. The viewing flexibility that has been provided for viewers gives them the chance to get away from the hectic lifestyles of the average American, whenever and wherever they please.
ReplyDeleteWith twitter being integrated into what seems like almost every popular show, advertisers have taken on a new perspective when it comes to reaching their viewers. The Olympics were a prime example of how new tactics are being implanted into television,” Advertisers like Procter & Gamble Co, for instance, which advertised heavily during the Games, tried to bridge the two mediums by airing an ad on TV, then sending out a tweet soliciting viewer feedback about the ad” (Shih). Twitter is helping advertisers tremendously because prior to the integration it seemed difficult for advertisers to reach out to their audience because of the use of DVR and On-Demand. Seeing as how throughout class discussion that many people are on Twitter during a show, or commercials, it is the perfect opportunity for advertisers to strike. Taking advantage of the human need to be opinionated, it appears as if this tactic is more than effective. I feel that The Super Bowl is the one time of the year wear Advertisers just have to sit back and let the ads do all the work, because that is what people look forward to almost if not more than the game. That is also when I feel the integration of Twitter and Facebook in advertisements has flourished especially because everyone is watching and everyone wants to talk about the commercials while they are happening or shortly after.
Personally I feel like the use of DVR and On-Demand is having a negative impact on the time that people spend together physically, not over twitter or Facebook, but face to face. When I was a child it was almost like an event when T.G.I.F. was airing on ABC, It was a time for my family to get together and watch Boy Meets World. Since everyone can watch their shows whenever they want, the event that used to be watching shows as a family is disappearing. Although these advances in watching television have many positives, this negative, has more of a substantial effect than just missing what happened during the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars. The wherever and whenever affect is separating people more than bringing them together, and its is frightening to think what else will be developed further progressing this problem.
Works Cited
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
The media viewing experience is gradually moving away from the use of the television set. Even that term ‘television set’ sounds outdated and brings the image of a television from the 1970s with cables and wires extending from it. In many households today there are various additions to the simple TV screen. Some homes are equipped with surround sound, HD picture, and cable boxes which feature DVR and On-Demand. In response to Stefanie’s post, audiences’ are watching their favorite shows in different ways. Personally, I sit down to watch the television when I am ‘channel surfing’ or not looking to watch any show in particular. When it comes to television shows that I follow consistently I am not watching them on TV or DVRing them, ninety-five percent of the time I am streaming on-line. Viewing TV shows this way is convenient and commercial free. The current lifestyle for audiences is very hectic and the faster you can do a task, the better. Convenience is highly valued and effects what people choose to do. We are a society that has built convenient cars, food services, and telephones; so why would our methods of viewing entertainment be any different.
ReplyDeleteThe article, “Nielsen Television Measurement” summarizes the Nielsen rating system and explains how Nielsen reveals “…detailed programming and commercial engagement.” Their analysis has recognized the fact that viewers are active on more than one device at a time while viewing entertainment; they are working to track all of this activity. In a video description the voice over says,
…Nielsen captures internet behavior, giving you a singular view of how everyone in the house watches TV, surfs, and streams generating vital insights into the relationships between these activities. Like…simultaneous usage and cause-and-effect patterns such as website visits during a broadcast and after. (Nielsen)
The ability to pause your programming when viewing shows from DVR and On-Demand allows for audiences to freely use other devices. Typically I will hear a song I like in an episode so I will pause the show and look up the artist and lyrics. It is important that ratings include these circumstances so that networks know when their material is being viewed and how.
Recently, Nielsen has partnered with Twitter in order to analyze what viewers are discussing on Twitter during their favorite program. The shift in TV viewing habits is so instantaneous that audiences are able to control their own experience. What I mean is, they skip what they want to skip or see the commercials they wish to see, if any at all. The act of multitasking is convenient and desirable.
For Twitter, the partnership with a recognized measurement company like Nielsen emphatically punctuates a year-long effort by its media division to bring second-screen usage into the mainstream. Twitter's convergence with television has been on display during sporting and major news events, which have provided some of the biggest viewership moments for both broadcasters and the social media company. (Shih)
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Reuters [San Francisco] 17 Dec. 2012
The Nielsen Company. 2013. Web. 16 February 2012. http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/measurement/television-measurement.html