Top Ten Appointment TV Shows

November 24, 2010

Top Ten Shows Viewers Make a Special Effort to Watch

In a highly competitive viewing environment, some shows stand out as “appointment television.”  These are the programs that viewers “make a special effort to watch.”

With the growth of DVR and online viewing, many TV watchers have shifted their viewing paradigm from planning to be in front of the TV when a show airs, to making time to watch a show on their own schedule.

We wanted to compare these two trends and, using Program Pulse Broadcast, we looked at the top broadcast TV programs viewers make a “Special Effort to Watch” for the month of October to see if there is an effect on live viewing of those programs.

Source: Program Pulse Broadcast, minimum threshold of viewers, data based on October fielding

Shows Viewers Make a Special Effort to Watch

Viewers of each show were asked to describe their future viewing intent based on a scale ranging from Make a Special Effort to Watch to Definitely Not.

The Vampire Diaries topped our list with 80% of viewers claiming they Make a Special Effort to Watch -almost 30 points higher than the average for broadcast shows.  Chuck, One Tree Hill, Glee and Castle also earned scores of over 70% Special Effort to Watch.

The shows in our Special Effort to Watch list were also Watched Live at a rate 12 points lower than average (54% vs. 66%).  In turn DVR and Other Media viewing for our list of shows scored higher than average.  Survivor and Glee stood out as exceptions to this pattern, with higher levels of live viewing.

In the minds and hard drives of viewers; making a special effort to watch a show turns out to be less about when to sit on the couch, and more about using the DVR to make sure you don’t miss a show.

Program Pulse has the ability to look beyond ratings into motivations and future viewing intent.

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Posted by E-Poll Market Research

American Express: From Karl Malden to Coco

November 15, 2010

American Express: From Karl Malden to Coco

Last week, late night TV’s prodigal comic returned in his new show on TBS titled “Conan”.  Attaching itself to the O’Brien zeitgeist is credit card provider American Express, which premiered a new commercial featuring O’Brien embarking on a quest through India for the perfect stage curtains.

Whereas Amex once was represented by Karl Malden telling consumers “don’t leave home without it,“ recently the company has been using leading comedians in their promotions.  Previous campaigns have featured Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, and Jerry Seinfeld.  With Conan now earning his American Express endorser merit badge we took a look at his E-Scores along with those of past endorsers to see what makes Conan a good fit.

Source: E-Score Celebrity, E-Score Brand

American Express Celebrity Brand Alignment

While Amex endorsers Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey and Conan O’Brien are all considered leaders in their fields they also share a number of top attributes. Using E-Score Celebrity we looked at each comedian’s top 5 attributes and a number of similarities appeared.

Both Funny and Talented are top attributes for each of the 4 Amex endorsers.  Other top attributes common among the 4 endorsers include Intelligent, Kooky/Wacky and Interesting.

According to E-Score Brand, American Express’s top attributes are High-Quality, Classic, Influential, Conservative and A Leader.  In the use of these successful comedians as endorsers, we see Amex both reinforcing the brand’s positive attributes and possibly trying to change previous perceptions as a stodgy and conservative brand.

E-Score Brand and Celebrity can work in conjunction to lead you to the ideal endorser.

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Posted by E-Poll Market Research

TV’s Smartest Shows

November 8, 2010

TV’s Smartest Shows

Despite TV’s affection for the familiar wacky neighbors, emergency room romances and forensic scientists who wear 4-inch heels to crime scenes; intelligent TV does exist and is thriving, particularly on cable.  For these programs, a high degree of intelligence sets them apart from the competition, and may even keep audiences watching.

 

 

Source: Program Pulse Cable, Among 18-49, Aug 2009 – Sep 2010, Among shows with minimum threshold viewers

Most Intelligent Cable Dramas

Using Program Pulse Cable we looked at which cable dramas are considered the most intelligent.   Topping our list with an Intelligent score of 63% is AMC’s critical and Emmy favorite Mad Men.  Basic cable is strongly represented, with nine of the ten most Intelligent shows, including three shows each from SyFy and TNT, and two from AMC.

Along with being considered intelligent many of the shows in our top ten also garner an active and engaged viewing audience. 76% of Breaking Bad viewers “Makes a Special Effort to Watch”, 10 percentage points above average.  Dexter scored a 72% for “Keeps Attention”, 15 points higher than average.  49% of viewers say they “Talked About” Doctor Who, compared to a score 37% for all other cable dramas.

In these shows, intelligence is achieved through multiple means: clever stories, complex and dark characters, and thought-provoking themes.  A program considered intelligent lends itself to an interesting script and story that can increase its chance at finding and keeping an audience.

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Posted by E-Poll Market Research

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