Commentary

And The Winner Is...

Following my inquiry last week as to what you recorded on your DVRs, over seventy of you either posted your response or emailed me directly. This far outstripped my expectations and made for fascinating reading. Many thanks to all those who made the effort to take part in this impromptu poll of an admittedly skewed sample (being the mediaphiles that we are, it would be a stretch to say results were in any way representative of anything other than the people who responded, but hey -- it's just a bit of fun).

Enriched as we were by the sheer volume of information, the gang here at the Center for Media Design's Insight & Research unit felt compelled to do a rundown and dirty analysis on what was posted, so we could see which programs came out on top. Unsurprisingly, there was a good deal of correlation with the highest-rated shows of the moment, and drama was the clear winner by genre. Here a few highlights of what we found, followed by another question:

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Top 10 Shows Mentioned:

1. "Grey's Anatomy" 27

2. "Desperate Housewives" 24

2. "Studio 60" 24

4. "24" 22

5. "Lost" 21

6. "Heroes" 20

7. "The Office" (U.S. Version) 18

8. "American Idol" 14

9. "Daily Show" 12

10. "Boston Legal," "CSI," "Gilmore Girls," "House," "Brothers & Sisters" 11

Top 10 Shows Watched by Couples:

1. "Desperate Housewives" 10

2. "Studio 60" 9

2. "American Idol" 9

4. "Grey's Anatomy" 8

4. "Lost" 8

6. "Heroes" 7

6. "Brothers and Sisters" 7

8. "24" 6

8. "The Office" (U.S. Version) 6

8. "Boston Legal" 6

Top 10 Shows Watched by Women:

1. "Grey's Anatomy" 15

2. "Desperate Housewives" 11

3. "Gilmore Girls" 9

4. "Studio 60" 8

5. "Heroes" 7

5. "24" 7

7. "The Office" (U.S. Version) 6

7. "House" 6

7. "Oprah" 6

10. "CSI" and the "O.C." 5

Top 10 Shows Watched by Men:

1. "Various Sporting Events" 10

2. " 24" 9

2. "Lost" 9

4. "Studio 60" 7

5. "Heroes" 6

5. "The Office" (U.S. Version) 6

7. "Grey's Anatomy" 4

7. "Daily Show" 4

7. "Battlestar Galactica" 4

10. "Desperate Housewives," "Boston Legal," "30 Rock," "Law and Order," "Medium," "Scrubs" 3

Top 10 Shows Watched by Kids:

1. "Dora, the Explorer" 3

1. Sporting Events 3

3. Movies 2

3. "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" 2

3. "Sesame Street" 2

3. "Go Diego Go" 2

3. "Hannah Montana" 2

3. "Little Einsteins" 2

3. Various Disney Shows 2

3. Nick Shows 2

Top 10 Genres:

1. Hour Drama 52

2. Reality shows 27

3. Sitcom 19

4. Home 14

5. Reality/documentaries 11

5. Talk shows/News/Spoof news 11

7. Cartoon 8

8. News 7

9. Cooking 6

10. Sci-fi 5

As with any other dialogue on the subject, the sense of attachment and emotion that goes with owning a DVR came through loud and clear in the posts and emails received, and the extent of use echoed the near-dependence of people who have transitioned their viewing almost entirely from conventional linear schedules to the "when you want it" world of DVR. Indeed, the winner of the TV Board "Most Programs On My DVR" award was Jill Knoke-Staggs, with 28 shows plus "various movies and specials." Ironically, Jill works at Escape Media.

It's with this in mind that I've decided to pose another DVR-related question. Bearing in mind we are in the middle of the spring TV season, with much of the most popular TV content in mid-flow, how much money would you need to be paid to surrender your DVR for the next two weeks? You can still watch TV, but only on the broadcast schedule -- and when you get your DVR back, it won't have the programs you missed on it. Does your DVR have a price? What is it? And how will your viewing change for those two weeks if it does?

I don't know my own answers to this yet, but I'll post them when I've given it some thought. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

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