Television
December 6, 2006
Smithgeiger Study On Television Viewing Habits Commissioned By Warner Bros. Media Research
(December 6, 2006 – Los Angeles, CA) — An extensive research study on the attitudes, motivations and behavior of television viewers shows that they know what they want and remain loyal to favorite channels and series, and that despite the growing proliferation of alternatives such as TiVo or DVRs, viewing habits haven’t radically changed.
Commissioned by Warner Bros. Media Research and conducted by leading strategic marketing research and consulting firm SmithGeiger, the study was conducted via comprehensive online interviews with 1,500 television viewers throughout the U.S. this past summer.
The study reveals that familiarity is a powerful motivator for television audiences, whether they are channel surfers or appointment viewers. Acquired series are most familiar to viewers and establish a strong foundation for a cable network’s successful programming strategy. In fact, 83% of respondents state that a mix of acquired and original programming strongly influences their decision on which network they watch.
Key findings include:
• The majority of TV viewers turn to broadcast for originals and cable for acquired programs.
• In primetime, viewers are as likely to turn to cable networks (52%) as to broadcast 48%).
• Familiarity plays a key role in viewers’ habits, and acquired series have significantly greater familiarity than originals, 93% vs. 46%. In fact, 70% of viewers most often stop on familiar shows when channel surfing.
• Acquired programming attracts new viewers to cable networks, with 62% discovering and watching these series on cable for the first time while also delivering audiences back to the original broadcast airings.
• Television is still the best place to promote new shows, with 70% of viewers saying they would pay attention to a commercial for a new show while viewing an acquired series.
These key findings are supported by Nielsen Media Research information, including:
• New generations of viewers under the age of 35 are finding and viewing acquired series:
• 79% of “Full House” audience on ABC Family
• 69% of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” audience on Nick@Nite
• 43% of “The Dukes of Hazzard” audience on CMT • Viewers are equally engaged in acquired programming vs. original, displaying strong commercial retention. • Top cable networks have utilized acquired series to launch originals with great success, including TNT’s launch of “The Closer,” where 65% of the audience from its lead-in program, “Law & Order” also watched “The Closer,” and the launch of “Eureka,” on SciFi where 78% of the audience from its lead-in program “Dead Like Me,” also watched the debut of “Eureka.” “Viewers appear to have a very clear expectation of what they are looking for in a broadcast or cable experience,” said David Smith, CEO, SmithGeiger. “While they expect to go to broadcast networks for original programs, they look to their cable networks for both originals and acquired series. Viewers watch acquired programs for a variety of reasons, including discovering new shows they missed on broadcast or to catch up with previous seasons of television favorites.” “The key findings of the survey are completely borne out by the 2006/07 primetime ratings, which, for the first time ever, show cable networks outperforming broadcast networks in four out of seven nights,” added Liz Huszarik, senior vice president, Warner Bros. Media Research. “Cable networks have been very effective at using acquired series as a platform for launching their originals and building their viewer base.” The highest-rated cable networks have a mix of original and acquired programming, and over half of the top-10 utilize acquired programs for more than 90% of their schedule. The most familiar series on cable are acquired, including many that haven’t been on broadcast television for years. Classic series such as “Seinfeld,” “Golden Girls,” “Full House,” “The Cosby Show” and “Friends” perform as strongly as more recent series like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “House” and the “Law & Order” franchise. “These results are a terrific validation of the fact that acquired programs provide the day-to-day heavy lifting for the most successful cable networks,” commented Eric Frankel, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. “No matter where these pre-branded series are scheduled in a network’s lineup, they attract a substantial audience and deliver strong ratings, typically without any significant promotion." About SmithGeiger SmithGeiger, LLC is a custom market research and consulting firm, headquartered in Los Angeles, serving all facets of the media and entertainment industries. Specializing in creating unique research methods to uncover consumer attitudes and preferences, SmithGeiger analysis identifies opportunities and action steps which convert into clear and concise recommendations designed to achieve measurable success. About Warner Bros. Media Research One of the industry’s premiere media research operations, Warner Bros. Media Research has responsibility for servicing Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution and Warner Bros. Media Sales. About Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution is the leading supplier of programming to the pay television and basic cable marketplaces. WBDCD licenses, markets and distributes top quality programming to a dozen broadcast networks, 30 pay TV outlets, over 100 basic channels and numerous HD networks.# # #
• 69% of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” audience on Nick@Nite
• 43% of “The Dukes of Hazzard” audience on CMT • Viewers are equally engaged in acquired programming vs. original, displaying strong commercial retention. • Top cable networks have utilized acquired series to launch originals with great success, including TNT’s launch of “The Closer,” where 65% of the audience from its lead-in program, “Law & Order” also watched “The Closer,” and the launch of “Eureka,” on SciFi where 78% of the audience from its lead-in program “Dead Like Me,” also watched the debut of “Eureka.” “Viewers appear to have a very clear expectation of what they are looking for in a broadcast or cable experience,” said David Smith, CEO, SmithGeiger. “While they expect to go to broadcast networks for original programs, they look to their cable networks for both originals and acquired series. Viewers watch acquired programs for a variety of reasons, including discovering new shows they missed on broadcast or to catch up with previous seasons of television favorites.” “The key findings of the survey are completely borne out by the 2006/07 primetime ratings, which, for the first time ever, show cable networks outperforming broadcast networks in four out of seven nights,” added Liz Huszarik, senior vice president, Warner Bros. Media Research. “Cable networks have been very effective at using acquired series as a platform for launching their originals and building their viewer base.” The highest-rated cable networks have a mix of original and acquired programming, and over half of the top-10 utilize acquired programs for more than 90% of their schedule. The most familiar series on cable are acquired, including many that haven’t been on broadcast television for years. Classic series such as “Seinfeld,” “Golden Girls,” “Full House,” “The Cosby Show” and “Friends” perform as strongly as more recent series like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “House” and the “Law & Order” franchise. “These results are a terrific validation of the fact that acquired programs provide the day-to-day heavy lifting for the most successful cable networks,” commented Eric Frankel, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. “No matter where these pre-branded series are scheduled in a network’s lineup, they attract a substantial audience and deliver strong ratings, typically without any significant promotion." About SmithGeiger SmithGeiger, LLC is a custom market research and consulting firm, headquartered in Los Angeles, serving all facets of the media and entertainment industries. Specializing in creating unique research methods to uncover consumer attitudes and preferences, SmithGeiger analysis identifies opportunities and action steps which convert into clear and concise recommendations designed to achieve measurable success. About Warner Bros. Media Research One of the industry’s premiere media research operations, Warner Bros. Media Research has responsibility for servicing Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution and Warner Bros. Media Sales. About Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution is the leading supplier of programming to the pay television and basic cable marketplaces. WBDCD licenses, markets and distributes top quality programming to a dozen broadcast networks, 30 pay TV outlets, over 100 basic channels and numerous HD networks.