• by Wayne Friedman , November 29, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- Viewers who desire family TV programming for their prime-time viewing can benefit from DVR and VOD technologies--but it doesn't make up for the general dissatisfaction over the lack of family programming. These were some of the conclusions drawn at the Association of National Advertisers' Family Friendly Programming Forum here.

"Having time-shifting technologies can change the nature of family viewing," said David Shiffman, vice president-research director at Mediavest USA, who presented research at the event. "These technologies are delivering what families want. They are enhancing the TV experience."

Does that mean advertising executives and viewers are generally happier about the network offering of family programming? Not completely.

In research that surveyed 800 people, Lance McAlindon, senior research manager of North American market development for Procter & Gamble, said that satisfaction levels have improved in regard to family TV programming--up 6 percentage points from a year ago. Overall, satisfaction is now at 20%.

"We should all be proud of that," said McAlindon. "But the flip side is that 80% are not [satisfied]. So there is room for growth."

Research also shows that increasingly, there are adults spending more time with children while watching TV. "Dads, in particular, are watching more with their kids," says McAlindon.

The P&G study found that the biggest problem is an increase in violent content. McAlindon also noted that Hispanic TV viewers are concerned about the lack of role models. Men, in general, he said, are worried about the increase in sexual content.

In other research, Lisa Quan, vice president and director of audience analysis for Magna Global, said despite the seemingly common belief that many family members are watching programs separately on various household TVs, research shows that 80% to 90% of the time only one TV is actually on at any given time.

"This hasn't changed in three years," said Quan. "Watching TV is more a collective activity." In homes that have more TV sets on, those viewers are mostly watching cable shows. Quan says it's because they are "edgier."

She notes that the top 10 of 15 TV shows among kids ages 2-11 were also the top shows for teens, adults 18-49, and adults 25-54. Mostly, kids 2-11 who watch adult shows were watching reality shows.

When it comes to family programming, Quan says marketers need to distinguish different combinations of family members watching TV. For example, she notes that this year, mothers and daughters may watch "Ugly Betty" together, while fathers and sons might view "Heroes" together.