• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 11, 2004

Major Changes in TV Viewing Among DVR Users, and More to Come

According to a new report series from Forrester Research, Inc., consumers who own digital video recorders (DVRs) like TiVo, spend nearly 60 percent of their time watching recorded or delayed programs, in which they skip 92 percent of ads. These habits are important because today's DVR users (5 percent of households) will grow to 41 percent within five years, according to Forrester. The survey results have been published in the two-part report series, "Inside The Mind Of The DVR User."

"Consumers told us that they love the control DVRs give them. The ability to record programs easily, pause live TV, and skip ads creates a powerful change in the way they view television," says Forrester Research Vice President Josh Bernoff.

Key survey findings include:

- DVR owners rated their improved enjoyment of TV at an average 4.4 on a five-point scale. Nearly one in five respondents used the word "love" in response to an open-ended question about how they feel about their DVRs.

- Less than 2 percent of people who owned DVRs have stopped using them.

- While demographically mainstream, nearly half of today's DVR owners have a home network, which is four times the penetration of a typical online household.

- While real-time viewing drops by 60 percent for consumers who use DVRs, programs like the evening news and sporting events are among the programs that retain significant real-time viewing.

- Survey respondents report watching only 8 percent of commercials in recorded programming. Three out of 10 viewers say they watch no commercials at all.

- Three out of four DVR users watch some ads at least occasionally. Movie ads and promos for upcoming programming fare best. Conversely, consumers watch less than one in 10 ads about credit cards, long-distance carriers, car dealers, and banks.

You can find out more here.