According to Nielsen data compiled by TVByTheNumbers, The Office was the most DVRed show for the week of September 14-20. (So this refers to The Office Season 6 premiere, ‘Gossip.’)
The data shows that The Office amassed 3.7 million total DVR viewers, ranking the show #1 in “Largest DVR Audiences for Broadcast TV Shows.”
I know I contribute personally to that number — I watch it once live, and then at least 3-5 more times on my TiVo sometime during the following week. A few times for seeding OfficeTally’s quote randomizer, and then a few more times just for me. :)
It’s too bad there isn’t a total number that includes live viewing + DVR viewing + online viewing. I bet The Office would go through the roof then!
How about you? How do you watch The Office?
Link: TVByTheNumbers
I do the same thing you do. I DVR it while I watch it and re watch it a bunch of times and even sometimes on NBC.com until it disappears :)
Really just depends. I try to catch it on-air, but that’s not always possible; if that’s the case I usually watch it online. I used to do the iTunes thing, but after my initial viewing I wait until the DVD (now Blu-Ray) release.
I usually DVR while watching LIVE … then watching it again a few more times during the week. Then sometimes while I’m at work I’ll have it set up in the corner with my headphones on, and watch it online. Sneaky sneaky.
This makes total sense. Yet another reason Nielsen ratings are killing the shows I love (Arrested Development, October Road, etc.).
As for me I always watch it live. Always. Then I’ll cue up the On Demand show since, as of last season, the broadcast version no longer airs in its widescreen format on my oldddddd TV, thus the necessity of On Demand’s widescreeny goodness. I’ll put in a third viewing via my taped copy (oh, VHS, how I still love thee) on the next Thursday to prime me for the new ep.
No DVR for me… :( But I always watch it live, then just about every day on NBC.com and if it’s REALLY good (i.e. this week’s wedding) then I’ll also buy it on itunes.
Hi, my name is Rachel and I am an addict….
I watch it the old fashioned way and again on NBC.com. I don’t have a DVR and my old VCR is unreliable.
I always watch it live while recording it on my DVR. I’ll then watch the whole ep at least once again, usually right after the first viewing, and the “good parts” countless times :)
I’m with Tanster. I have my DVR set to record ANY episode, which includes the syndicated episodes, and ever since the show went into syndication, my DVR is JAMmed with The Office. Then I rewatch every single one at least twice. And then it starts all over the following week.
Well, I always watch it live Thursday nights of course. Although there was this one time where I had to miss it and it was before NBC showed them online the next day and we don’t have DVR so I had my mom record it for me on our old VHS haha. Other than that, my DVDs and now the local syndication thing give me my Office fix for the week although I will occasionally watch an episode online just for the fun of it. I try not to watch the new ones too much online so that when the DVDs come out, there are some parts that I’ve forgotten about and when I watch them again, it’s like they’re new haha- it’s like “second drink” :P.
I DVR all the new episodes and watch them live. Then I watch them over and over and keep them till the dvd comes out.
I watch it live. I don’t have DVR capabilites, so I try to watch it at least once (all right I’m lying, it’s usually more) during the week on HULU.
I always watch it live on TV and then once or twice online!
While watching it live, I record it, old school, on my VCR, and then I usually watch it once more within the next few days. I save the tapes/episodes, until the DVD comes out, for when I need an Office fix.
Can I ask a follow-up question?
For those of you who watch it on Hulu, why do you watch it there as opposed to other places like NBC.com, Fancast, etc.?
I’m also a DVR-while-watching-live person. I save the episodes for as long as my DVR space will allow, then I have to make the heartbreaking delete decisions about half way through the season. But you can guaran-dang-tee that wedding episode will NOT be deleted. I don’t care if my husband has to erase every episode of “Pinks: All Out” he has saved. They’re just cars! Try putting a car in Jell-O. Try getting a car to shoot Awesome Blossom out of its nose. Try driving a car into a lake. Oh, wait…
[from tanster: lol!]
I watch it on Global live if I can or on the web the morning after.
Usually I watch it live while DVR-ing it at the same time, then watch it again once or twice. And I do watch it on Hulu some times, or portions of it. I’ve known about Hulu since it was first started, and I just think it has a nice viewing browser and it’s easy to jump around and see different parts of it if you want to.
Tanster – I usually watch it on NBC.com but sometimes NBC will just sit there and load, and load, and load and then it will pause every few seconds. (and it’s not like youtube where you can pause it and wait for it to load and then you’re good.) Hulu will usually play right through the first time I pull it up.
[from tanster: good feedback for nbc.com. thanks!]
I also watch it live and DVR it and then watch it countless times throughout the season until the DVD’s come out.
Same thing here. DVR and watch it 3-5 times during the 1st week after. Then every other week at least once.
We watch The Office live, and DVR it; this year we have also been DVRing Fringe. We keep all episodes until the DVD set comes out.
I am thrilled with this info. Go Office!
[from tanster: I also DVR Fringe! Because of the work I have to do on OfficeTally on Thursday nights, I don’t usually watch Fringe until the weekend.]
@Tanster – I’m actually “meh” on the whole issue of where I watch it if I have to online. It’s just a matter of if I think about it; for instance, I missed last week’s episode, but it came up in my Facebook feed through NBC.com; however, if I think of it, I go to Hulu. I don’t know why, I just remember Hulu better, so it gets the win for me.
I don’t have DVR so I watch it live on Thursday, then watch it again on hulu the next day (and sometimes later that week, too!)
We try to watch when it airs…but sometimes life comes up…so we always DVR. I have three roommates so sometimes I watch it with all of them….at different times. Sometimes I watch it on-line at work and occasionally I’ll watch it OnDemand….thus fully ensuring memorization.
I’m a college kid with a night class and a job after that class. It’s Hulu for me!
I watch Grey’s too… so I always DVR The Office (because it’s the half-hour show), I watch Grey’s live and then right after I watch The Office (or some weeks I DVR both if I’m not home on Thursday night). I would watch The Office live, but it’s just more practical to watch the 9-10 show than the 9-9:30 show… that way I can watch The Office right away at 10-10:30, rather than have a half-hour wait and watch Grey’s from 10-11. I don’t think I’m counted in any numbers anyway, haha.
I don’t have DVR, so I watch it live for the premieres, On Demand to see the new episodes again, and then Seasons 1 through 5 on DVD or on my iPod touch at work. :D
Jenleigh, I agree.
One of things I like about Hulu, and it’s kind of silly, is that it visually shows me where the commercials will play.
I always know there will be three commercials, and I know *when* they’re coming.
I also prefer the page design and embedding function of Hulu better. It seems cleaner and easier to use.
I always try to watch it live first. Not for any ratings — I don’t own a Nielsen box and I don’t have a DVR — but because I want to (and don’t watch either GA or CSI). And I re-watch it on either Hulu or just get the episode from the iTunes.
To answer your follow-up question: I prefer Hulu to NBC.com because it loads better. Something about NBC’s site is just so cumbersome, it’s easier to go to Hulu and just click on the ep.
Also, I think Nielsen is both inaccurate and outdated as a TV-watching tracking system.
I DVR the show and watch it starting at 9:10, after putting the kids to bed. I save it on my DVR List, so by the end of the season it’s all The Office. When I have free time I go back and re-watch episodes. I DVR the reruns on TBS which now means a lot more episodes, but I don’t save those, since I have the DVDs.
I make sure to watch The Office when it shows at 9. Usually at that time, my family is running around the house making too much noise for me to fully enjoy it, so I always watch it the next day with my boyfriend because he DVRs it. And then throughout the season, I’ll rewatch the episodes when I’m bored…which is often!
Add me to what seems to be the majority here – I watch each episode ‘live’ while recording it on my TiVo, then I watch it again multiple times. Usually I even watch the episode again that very night! For some reason, I never really got into watching TV online, so finally having a DVR is awesome.
I watch it on hulu because I find that it’s easy to access (less links to click), it loads faster, has really good quality (better than nbc.com, in my opinion), and the ads are less frequent, shorter, and less annoying (on the most part, anyway).
I appear to be odd man out.. I DVR it and watch starting at 9:30, because I hate commercials. Then I watch it once more later that night, delete it from the DVR. Hulu and nbc.com just don’t work well for me, and I need my DVR space for all the syndicated shows each week.
I watch it live but I save the episodes on my DVR until the season comes out, so I watch it on my DVR a lot. I like to have little marathons especially when I’m off from school around Christmas.
Like a lot of others, I always watch it live and record it to watch it once again later on. Of course, with family stuff, things happen, so it’s ALWAYS good to record it!
Those numbers are sort of troubling. I mean it’s great that there’s that many people watching on DVRs but those people aren’t considered the same way to advertisers and networks. Especially when it’s found that over 80% of them skip commercials. That means 80% of them don’t count. This show doesn’t deserve that.
Fans need to watch live when available (or at least the same day on DVR) to give this show actual value. I mean what are you still watching Grey’s Anatomy instead
I never get to watch it live since, in central time, it starts at 8:00 which is bedtime for the kiddo at our house. We usually watch it once she’s in bed. Sometimes I watch it again that night and for sure the next day. Then I might watch it again during the week but only watch my favorite parts. Thank goodness for Tivo!!!!
Yep! Guilty. I’m one of those that watches live + Tivo + online + buy the DVDs + watch the reruns on cable. Oh wow. I really should get some kind of non-Office related hobby. :S
Wow, I am so glad to know I’m one of many who DVRs it, watches it ASAP as possible (after it airs so I can skip the commercials), and then watches multiple times after that (usually over the next 2-3 days). You catch so many things on the 3rd, 4th, 5th viewings that you didn’t see the 1st or 2nd time!
My husband teases me about this… “You just saw it!” I’ll have to tell him I’m in the majority on officetally! (He’ll probably just tease me about that, too.)
Plus I have all the DVDs and go through the episodes + special features a few times a year. Haven’t been watching syndication, though, because I don’t want to get tired of any episodes.
I have a question for more avid Hulu viewers: When we watched it online over the weekend, we had an option of watching it with one long commercial from the sponsor before the show with no breaks after that, or watching it with commercial breaks as usual. Is this becoming a standard on Hulu, or is it just on certain shows, new shows, or featured shows? Thanks!
Watch it live if possible, then later during the week or over the weekend. We always save it on our DVR until the following week’s episode airs. It’s like we feel better having one on tap.
We alway watch it live and DVR it (and Fringe)… I then watch it a multitude of times… I always keep the entire season on my DVR until I buy the season. My husband hates it. :)
I watch it “live” on Thursday with my family. Then I watch it all by myself on Hulu on Friday. I find that I miss some of the subtle stuff during my first viewing, probably because I’m watching it with one casual viewer who asks a lot of questions, one who is using “The Office” as an excuse to stay up a little later, and one who has decided that this would be a good time to initiate a game of fetch.
I almost 90% of the time watch it live even though I also Tivo it and save it. I have in the past refused to go to some social activities so that I could watch The Office live on Thursday night. People think I’m weird. I also got up at 6 am one time to watch it on nbc.com before work when the power went out because of a storm one Thursday night.
I don’t own a DVR of any sort so I don’t get to record the show. I always try to watch the episode live (I’ve only missed it twice, and one of the time was because I was driving to Scranton for the convention).
And I like to purchase the episode for my Zune for all re-watches which usually consists of one at least one re-watch before the next episode (and up to three or four if I really liked the episode). I then often will re-watch different episodes over the course of the season and have little marathons and what not.
I have to watch the episodes on Friday morning because my night class on Thursdays end at 9Pm and I have an hour drive home. I also don’t get any TV, as I still don’t have a converter box nor satellite. So, I don’t have TiVO or a DVR so I have to wait and watch it online. boo. Although, I watch it multiple times online throughout the week!