• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 12, 2012

Broadcast networks increasingly have to contend with a "phantom" prime-time network that doesn't really have a name.

Like the Tea Party, this network doesn't really have a structure or headquarters, nor does it do presentations to TV critics and reporters. But it has certain wants-- such as ridding itself of big bureaucratic obstacles like costs that may tax viewers’ patience.

Speaking with MediaPost at the Televison Critics Association meeting, ABC Entertainment Group President Paul Lee said his network did incredibly well against this "network" this past fall, especially at 10 p.m. 

We speak of time-shifted viewing, of course. And the "network" airs during the 10 p.m. hour where viewers increasingly shift from "live viewing" to watching a recorded program that sits on their DVR menus.

DVRs are in almost half the country -- which is good and bad news. Kevin Reilly of Fox Entertainment says top-rated shows can regularly add two full rating points -- a major addition -- amongst 18-49 year-old viewers after seven days of viewing.

His network and others can only monetize time-shifted viewing from advertisers after three days. So while networks are troubled about this seemingly other "network" of viewing, the good news is that they are getting some of that time-shifted viewing due to advertising deals linked to C3 ratings -- commercial ratings plus three days of time-shifted program data.

This can get complicated: Some of these 10 p.m. shows can perhaps get competition from themselves in a time-shifted mode. (Watching last week's "Hawaii Five-0" on Monday at the same time a current episode is airing, for example).

Time shifting has been a continuing problem for executives who schedule shows. But with the other half of the country without DVR technology, networks still look to find advantages -- however slight -- in gaining viewers against their competition.

Some analysts say that traditional DVR time shifting -- which has been around for more than a decade -- is actually slowing. David Poltrack, chief research officer of CBS, says viewer growth was 6% this past year compared with 18% the year before.

Much of this is because new time-shifting activity is moving into digital areas with Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Xfinity, HBO Go and, in the future, perhaps Apple's iTV and Google TV.

"Network" comparisons seem to continue to abound. Richard Greenfield, an analyst for BTIG Research, says looking at October’s viewer usage of 666 million hours for Netflix would have place it as the 15th most watched TV "network."

Seems like we will always be comparing TV networks. That's still our benchmark for success and failure, even if the network doesn’t always have a name.