TVSpy
TiVo announced Wednesday that among its users, time-shifted viewing of NBC’s “The Jay Leno Show” is down compared to the network’s 10 p.m. programming last year.
According to TiVo’s Stop||Watch ratings service, 46% of viewers opted to record “Leno” and watch it later. Last season, 70% of viewers watched time-shifted episodes of NBC’s 10 p.m. scripted dramas and news magazine shows. Compared to other networks’ 10 p.m. offerings this fall, “Leno” also gets time-shifted less.
“The Jay Leno Show,” which debuted Sept. 14th, was introduced as NBC’s solution to a shifting primetime landscape. As more and more viewers choose to DVR their shows, watch them online, or watch cable, NBC opted to switch out expensive, scripted programming in the 10 p.m. slot, and replace it with a cheap, tried-and-true alternative: Jay Leno. The decision marked the first time in decades that a late-night-style variety show was scheduled in the 10 o’clock slot. Ben Silverman, the former chairman of NBC Entertainment, claimed the show would be “DVR-proof.”
The Stop||Watch figures also show that 20% of viewers who TiVo “Leno” watch it within the hour of its broadcast, up from last year’s 13%. This minimal time-shift ends up displacing viewers for the late local newscasts, and NBC’s 11:35/10:35c tenant, “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”
“Depending on who you ask, NBC’s glass is either half full or half empty,” said Todd Juenger, VP & GM of TiVo Audience Research & Measurement.