Which Network Shows Are DVR'd The Most?

Year-long statistics are out now for which network shows are DVR’d the most percentage-wise, and finally, you “Fringe” fans have something ratings-related to celebrate, as both “Fringe” and “Grimm” top the list of the most DVR’d shows as a percentage of their overall audience. It’s not a huge surprise that they are popular time-shifted shows because both fall on Friday nights; the surprise is how many of its viewers actually do record it. Both shows get a whopping 70 percent plus ratings jump once DVR is accounted for, although for “Fringe,” even with the 72 percent increase, it only receives a 1.9 rating, which is typically cancellation territory for a show before the DVR bump.

“Grimm,” however, jumps to a solid 2.6, a solid rating for a Friday show. I was also a little surprised to see “Awake” so high on the list: It received more than a 50 percent bump, although the 1.7 rating even with DVR viewers is the reason why it was cancelled.

If you’re curious, “Community” received a modest 37 percent jump in the ratings after DVR viewership was accounted for, while “Happy Endings” received a 22 percent jump. That just means that those shows are watched live by most people

I suspect that “Community” will jump to the top of the list next season when the show moves to Friday nights in the fall. The least DVR’d shows? Football, which received a 0 percent jump and yet was the highest rated programming of the year. That’s why there is so much ad money in the NFL, because everyone watches it live and no one fast-forwards through the commercials. Red Zone is not even an option for primetime NFL.

Here’s a list of the top DVR’d programs for the 2011-2012 network season (and I’d love to see the same list for cable shows, but it does not yet exist).

You can view the entire list over at TVByTheNumbers.

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