TiVo To Rate Commercials
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/16/2007 11:27:00 AM
Digital video recorder (DVR) supplier TiVo says it will now use its StopWatch ratings service, which tracks consumer's viewing habits through its TiVo boxes, to measure the popularity of national TV commercials.
The Alviso, Calif.-based company will offer "Top Commercial Rankings" reports, which will measure commercial viewing in various categories tracked on a monthly basis include "Top Total Viewing Commercials compared with Total Viewing of Top Programs"; "Timeshifted Commercials compared with Timeshifted Programs"; and, "Least Fast-forwarded Brand Campaigns." TiVo says it will also track other areas of interest including performance advertising on DVRs in key advertising categories and other customizable information. The move comes as advertisers have been clamoring for more precise information on viewership, a demand which has prompted ratings giant Nielsen to begin measuring commercial viewing.
"For many years, various sources have provided rankings of top programs," said Todd Juenger, Vice President & General Manager, TiVo Audience Research & Measurement, in a statement. "But nobody has ever provided the same type of information for commercials. And this is what marketers really care about -- especially with the proliferation of DVRs. We believe these monthly reports will be both fun and informative, and provide just a small taste of the type of insight into DVR viewing behavior, timeshifting, and specific commercial ratings available to subscribers of TiVo's StopWatch service."
StopWatch currently monitors 15 networks: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW, TNT, TBS, USA, CNN, ESPN, DISC, NIK, MTV, COM and HGTV. TiVo has released measurement data from April and May to show that the link between highly-rated shows and commercials viewership may not be as strong as one might assume; the StopWatch ratings service found the highest rated commercial among TiVo viewers for April appeared in the eighth highest rated program, and that the highest rated program placed only one spot among the top ten commercials. Additionally, four of the five highest rated commercials ran in programs not included in top ten program viewership.
Listed below is a sample of data from April:
April -- Top Commercials v. Top Programs (Total Viewing)
Top Commercials -- Total Viewing
Brand Program Date Rating
1. Dreamworks Disturbia Movie House 27-Mar 21.1
2. Chase Freedom Credit Card CSI 5-Apr 20.4
3. GMC Trucks Acadia CSI 26-Apr 19.5
4. Dyson Slim Vacuum Cleaner House 3-Apr 17.5
5. Apple Macintosh Computer CSI 12-Apr 16.5
6. Universal Georgia Rule Movie Grey's Anatomy 26-Apr 16.2
7. Burger King Restaurant American Idol 18-Apr 15.3
8. Ford Auto&Truck Edge & Fusion American Idol 18-Apr 15.0
9. Cadillac Auto&Truck Various Grey's Anatomy 19-Apr 15.0
10. Wendy's Restaurant Grey's Anatomy 26-Apr 15.0
Top Programs -- Total Viewing
Program Date Rating
1. Grey's Anatomy 19-Apr 24.5
2. Grey's Anatomy 26-Apr 24.3
3. American Idol 27-Mar 23.2
4. American Idol 10-Apr 22.7
5. American Idol 17-Apr 22.4
6. American Idol 3-Apr 21.4
7. American Idol 18-Apr 20.8
8. House 27-Mar 20.2
9. American Idol 11-Apr 19.9
10. House 17-Apr 19.8
April -- Top Commercials v. Top Programs (Timeshifted Viewing)
Top Commercials - Timeshifted Viewing
Brand Program Date Rating
1. Dreamworks Disturbia Movie House 27-Mar 14.4
2. GMC Trucks Acadia CSI 26-Apr 14.4
3. Chase Freedom Credit Card CSI 5-Apr 14.1
4. Stouffers Corner Bistro Flatbreads CSI 29-Mar 13.5
5. Dyson Slim Vacuum Cleaner House 3-Apr 11.0
6. Apple Macintosh Computer CSI 12-Apr 10.5
7. Olay Body/Radiance RBN Body Wash CSI 26-Apr 9.6
8. Universal Georgia Rule Movie Grey's Anatomy 26-Apr 8.8
9. Sony Perfect Stranger Movie House 27-Mar 8.3
10. Sony Spider-Man 3 Movie Grey's Anatomy 26-Apr 8.0
Top Programs - Timeshifted Viewing
Program Date Rating
1. Grey's Anatomy 26-Apr 17.4
2. Grey's Anatomy 19-Apr 17.2
3. American Idol 27-Mar 15.0
4. American Idol 17-Apr 14.1
5. Lost 25-Apr 13.6
6. Lost 11-Apr 13.6
7. Lost 4-Apr 13.4
8. Desperate Housewives 8-Apr 13.4
9. American Idol 10-Apr 13.4
10. Lost 18-Apr 13.3
