TV networks used to be very worried that the DVR is killing television. After all, the device allows ‘viewers to skip commercials on playback.’ The thinking was that the device is a way for viewers to stop watching commercials and for TV networks to possibly lose advertising revenues. TV networks need not worry, it turned out. The reason lies in the very principle behind television viewing.

‘TV watching is such an inherently lazy activity that many viewers can’t summon the energy to fast forward during breaks. In the key 18-49 age demographic, 46% watch all the ads during playback.’ So, most viewers, in fact, get to watch those commercials. What’s more, ‘shows enjoy 7%-20% more viewings over three days of playback with big networks seeing an average 10% increase overall.’ This makes the DVR ‘a serious boost to the TV industry.’

Another fact is that more households in the US own digital video recorders, with 33 percent thus far in 2009 as compared with 28 percent at this point in 2008. This phenomenon actually helps the ratings of some marginal shows. Some even become hits on their own. Fact is television-viewing couch potatoes are too lazy that they simply opt to sit through advertising commercials. Nearly half of all viewers do not skip commercials. Man’s passive activity isn’t hurting ad revenues one bit, DVR or no DVR.

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Via The New York Times