Ratings: Fox, FX Programs Dominate Season’s VOD Rankings
As more time-shifted viewing moves from DVR playback to video-on-demand, Fox Networks Group seems to be in a great position to capitalize.
This season through mid-April, the Fox network and FX accounted for the six most-watched shows in Nielsen’s seven-day VOD rank, led by the broadcaster’s megahit “Empire” and also including the cabler’s big-draw event series “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
“Empire” gained 0.70 ratings points to lead all shows, and was followed by “The X-Files” (0.62), “People v. O.J. Simpson” (0.38), Fox’s “Lucifer” (0.35), FX’s “American Horror Story” (0.33) and Fox’s “Scream Queens.” The top-rated non Fox programs were ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” (all picking up 0.29 ratings points in seven days).
ABC is well-represented on the rankings as well, with seven of the top 20 programs in seven-day VOD playback, including first-year series “Quantico,” “The Catch” and “The Family.”
Video-on-demand typically delivers a younger, more upscale and highly engaged audience, and its ads are far more likely to be viewed to completion because they can’t be fast-forwarded. According to Fox, its strong showing in these rankings reflect its “commitment to delivering bold, compelling and emotionally charged programming that commands attention in today’s multi-platform, time-shifting environment.”
Particularly in February, Rentrak tracked more than 22,000 VOD assets, and 21 of the top 30 programs were from Fox Networks Group, including “Grease: Live,” three episodes of “The X-Files” and two episodes of “Lucifer” from Fox, and four episodes of “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
“We are exceptionally proud of the fantastic storytelling, topicality and all-around excellence of Fox programming this season, which have made us a leader in VOD and made our shows destination viewing for today’s on-the-go TV fans,” Fox Networks Group Chairman and CEO Peter Rice said. “As today’s crowded digital marketplace creates a paradigm shift in audience measurement, our programming has not only proven itself to be indispensable, but has shown how time-shifting, multi-platform viewing is bringing millions of new viewers into the fold.”
BIGGEST 7-DAY VOD GAINERS
(Adults 18-49)
1. Empire (Fox), 0.70
2. The X-Files (Fox), 0.62
3. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX), 0.38
4. Lucifer (Fox), 0.35
5. American Horror Story (FX), 0.33
6. Scream Queens (FX), 0.32
7. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), 0.29
7. The Walking Dead (AMC), 0.29
7. The Big Bang Theory (CBS), 0.29
10. Scandal (ABC), 0.28
10. How to Get Away With Murder (ABC), 0.28
12. Quantico (ABC), 0.27
12. The Catch (ABC), 0.27
14. Modern Family (ABC), 0.25
15. Gotham (Fox), 0.24
16. The Family (ABC), 0.23
17. Family Guy (Fox), 0.19
18. Blindspot (NBC), 0.18
19. Better Call Saul (AMC), 0.17
19. The Last Man on Earth (Fox), 0.17
19. Shades of Blue (NBC), 0.17
19. Black-ish (ABC), 0.17
Source: Nielsen (Sept. 21, 2015-April 10, 2016)
(Each 18-49 ratings point equals roughly 1.27 million viewers)
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