I don't know how viewers get along these days without DVRs.
Tonight's lineup is a good example of why we need the sanity-saving device that began replacing VCRs about 15 years ago. On Thursdays (TV's most important advertising night) there are a number of popular shows deliberately programmed opposite one another to force viewers to make decisions. Fortunately, DVRs and video on demand allow us to have more control than we once did.
In the 7 p.m. hour, for example, viewers must choose to watch or record Grey's Anatomy on ABC, CBS' comedy duo of The Big Bang Theory and The Odd Couple, NBC's limited drama The Slap, a live performance episode of American Idol on Fox or The Vampire Diaries on The CW.
At 8 p.m., that same network lineup offers, in order, Scandal, a Big Bang repeat and Mom, The Blacklist, Idol and Reign.
At 9 p.m. the drama choices narrow to ABC, CBS and NBC: American Crime, Elementary and Allegiance.
And the above doesn't even include the good stuff airing on PBS, including two hours of Doc Martin at 8.
Every now and then I'll get an email from a frustrated reader wanting to know why the networks insist on putting their best shows opposite one another. Primarily, it's for overnight Nielsen bragging rights -- "our show won its time slot!"
But that distinction is far less important these days because Nielsen tallies ratings for the initial viewing plus recorded viewings up to a week later. It's called "Live+7."
If my email is any indication, network counterprogramming is most frustrating for viewers who have not taken the DVR plunge or mastered the Internet options. That's an increasingly shrinking number and most of the holdouts seem to be older viewers.
DVRs have come a long way since 1999 and TiVo. A recent survey by the Leichtman Research Group found 76 percent of U.S. households have a DVR, subscribe to Netflix or use video on demand from a cable or other provider. That's up from 70 percent last year.
All these options have permanently changed the way people can choose to watch TV.
In its latest Total Audience Report, Nielsen found that over the past year viewers were increasingly consuming TV content in time-shifted settings, and were watching TV and online video on a variety of devices.
Dounia Turrill, Nielsen senior vice president, says, "What used to be a schedule to watch programming now seems like little more than a suggestion, as viewers can choose to watch live linear programming, video on demand, or through subscription services and apps, among other ways to tune in."
Note that despite all the options, watching live TV the old-fashioned way still leads the way by far. Nielsen reports Americans spent an average 4 hours and 32 minutes watching live TV each day in the third-quarter of 2014. That's compared with only a half hour watching time-shifted content (DVR, on-demand).
The rest of our time? Americans average 2 hours and 44 minutes listening to the radio; 1 hour, 33 minutes on smartphones; and a bit longer than an hour poking around on the Internet.
When I suggest that missed episodes can usually be found online on the network's Website, readers frequently either don't have high-speed Internet to stream the show, or believe they lack the Internet navigational skills to figure out how to click on the links.
I feel their pain. I know old viewing habits die hard for some of us veteran viewers. We got our first TV set in 1952 and there were only three broadcast channels (not counting NET/PBS) until Fox debuted in 1986.
Mastering the alternatives can save frustration. When one of the recent ice and snow storms disrupted the AETN feed to Comcast, a number of fans missed the Season 5 Downton Abbey finale. AETN tried to help by repeating the entire Sunday night lineup during the week, but some didn't get the word.
Others tell me they had their DVRs set for 9 p.m. that Sunday and missed the 8 p.m. start for the special two-hour Downton episode.
I can only encourage vigilance and proactive viewing for your favorite shows. Networks sometimes change lineups without warning and schedules do get disrupted. Fortunately, the time has come when the consumer has alternatives. We just have to be willing to take advantage.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Weekend on 03/12/2015