Cable Gets Biggest Ratings’ Lift From Time-Shifting: Nielsen

Cable shows dominated a Top 10 list of programs that saw the greatest ratings gains from time-shifting, Nielsen said Tuesday.

Nielsen ranked TV shows by percentage increase in household rating due to time-shifting, and as well as Top 10 shows ranked by total gain in household audience due to time-shifted playback.

In terms of actual ratings gains, Sci Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galatica ranked No. 1, seeing a 53% increase in ratings. It was followed USA Network’s Burn Notice in second place, with a 37% gain. NBC’s Heroes, The CW’s 90210 and Sci Fi’s Sanctuary tied for third place with a 35% gain each.

They were followed by Sci Fi’s Eureka, which benefits from a 34% gain, and TBS’s My Boys, with a 32% increase. USA’s Psych enjoys a 29% ratings bump when time-shifted viewing is added in, while the network’s In Plain Sight posts a 28% gain.

USA’s The Starter Wife, Fox’s Fringe and NBC’s The Office round out the top 10-list, each registering a 27% increase in their ratings due to time-shifting.

There weren't any cable programs among Nielsen’s top 10 list of shows with the biggest increases in actual audience from time-shifted playback. Fox’s American Idol on Tuesdays, which scores a 2.15 million gain in households, is first by this measure.