by Andrew Redfern @ 1st July 2008 10:57 pm

TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in advertising solutions and television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today unveiled the Top Commercial Rankings for May 2008, as viewed by TiVo(R) service subscribers.

ABC and FOX trounced all other broadcast networks in May in Total and Timeshifted viewership for both commercial and program ratings. Seven of the Top 10 commercials in Total viewership for the month ran during the May 21st finale of FOX’s American Idol.

“The May data demonstrates that running a commercial during a successful program does not guarantee that people will see it, especially if they are Timeshifting and watching the show later,” said Todd Juenger, Vice President & General Manager, TiVo Audience Research & Measurement.

“Grey’s Anatomy had the top four Timeshifted episodes, but only managed to sneak one spot into the Top 10. On the other hand, House didn’t have any episodes in Top 10 Timeshifted viewing, but placed four of the top Timeshifted commercials.”

As always, there was great disparity between highest versus lowest Timeshifted spots, even within the same episode, proving again that viewers are consciously choosing which ads to watch and which to fast-forward. While the average timeshifted commercial rating was 4.8, the highest rated spot garnered an 11.1 rating, nearly three times the audience of the lowest rated spot.

Mr. Juenger continued, “The contrast between Grey’s Anatomy dominating the Top Program list for both Total and Timeshifted viewing, while American Idol dominates the Top Commercial list for Total viewing, is instructive.

Clearly a higher percentage of American Idol viewers watched the show live. In fact, 43% of viewers watched the American Idol finale live versus only 29% for the four first-run Grey’s Anatomy episodes.

Even with this handicap for Timeshifted viewers, the Coca-Cola spot right before the announcement of the winner on American Idol’s May 21st finale won the top Timeshifted commercial spot — and top overall commercial as well — showing the power of what is probably the most coveted ad positioning in American TV.”

May — Top Commercials v. Top Programs (Total Viewing)

Top Commercials - Total Viewing

Brand                     Program                     Date         Rating

1.  Coca-Cola
Classic              American Idol - FOX         21 - May      20.2
2.  Paramount: Love
Guru Movie           American Idol - FOX         21 - May      16.3
3.  Redoctane Guitar
Hero Video
Game                 American Idol - FOX         21 - May      16.2
4.  Redoctane Guitar
Hero Video
Game                 American Idol - FOX         21 - May      16.1
5.  Ford Autos
Focus                American Idol - FOX         21 - May      15.1
6.  Dove Go Fresh
Body Wash            Desperate Housewives - ABC  18 - May      15.1
7.  iTunes.com Music
Store Online         American Idol - FOX         21 - May      14.8
8.  Apple Warner Bros:
Sex and the City     Grey’s Anatomy - ABC        22 - May      14.7
9.  Warner Bros: Sex and
the City             American Idol - ABC         21 - May      14.3
10. Pizza Hut Restaurant  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC        22 - May      14.3

Top Programs - Total Viewing

Program                                 Date                     Rating

1.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                22 - May                  22.0
2.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                15 - May                  20.9
3.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                01 - May                  20.0
4.  American Idol - FOX                 21 - May                  20.0
5.  American Idol - FOX                 20 - May                  20.0
6.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                08 - May                  20.0
7.  Desperate Housewives - ABC          18 - May                  19.8
8.  American Idol - FOX                 13 - May                  19.4
9.  Lost - ABC                          08 - May                  19.2
10. Lost - ABC                          01 - May                  19.0

– With the coveted pre-Idol winner announcement position of 9:52pm, Coca-Cola delivered the number one total and time-shifted commercial rating for the month of May.

– Seven of the Top 10 highest rated commercials ran during the American Idol finale on May 21st, yet it was the fourth ranked program overall.

– Only two commercials from Grey’s Anatomy scored in the Top 10 (#8 and #10), but the top three highest rated programs were all episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.

– Movie spots did well for second month in a row (three of Top 10).
May — Top Commercials v. Top Programs (Timeshifted Viewing)
Top Programs - Timeshifted Viewing

Program                                   Date                   Rating

1.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                  22-May                  15.0
2.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                  15-May                  14.9
3.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                  01-May                  14.5
4.  Grey’s Anatomy - ABC                  08-May                  14.4
5.  Lost - ABC                            08-May                  13.1
6.  Desperate Housewives - ABC            18-May                  13.1
7.  Desperate Housewives - ABC            01-May                  13.0
8.  American Idol - FOX                   20-May                  12.8
9.  American Idol - FOX                   13-May                  12.6
10. Lost - ABC                            15-May                  12.6

– Four of the Top 10 timeshifted commercial spots ran in House (even though no House episodes made the Top 10)

– Grey’s Anatomy dominated timeshifted program rankings, with the top four slots, but only one commercial snuck on the list at #10 (a spot for Warner Bros: Sex and the City, which showed up frequently in May)

– Seven out of the Top 10 Time-shifted spots ran in the first pod position.
The Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service, introduced in February 2007, is offered via an easily sortable database of ratings for nationally run programs and advertisements from cable and broadcast networks, with data going back to September 2006. The service now tracks ratings for 51 nationally distributed, ad supported networks (up from 15), and covers all programming and commercials aired from 5:00am - 11:30pm (up from Daytime and Primetime only), providing subscribers with an even greater sample of audience behavioral data.

Subscribers to TiVo’s Stop||Watch(TM) service include: Omnicom Media Group, NBC Universal, CBS Corporation, The Interpublic Group, Starcom, Carat USA, MPMA, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Media IQ and Euro RSCG New York.

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