Since 2003, we’ve been focused on making Xfinity On Demand the most comprehensive destination for current season TV. With nearly 3 billion hours viewed each year, Xfinity On Demand provides customers with a reliable and predictable destination to catch up and stay current with their favorite shows and discover new ones. At the same time it provides programmers and advertisers with countless opportunities to explore new windowing and monetization opportunities to attract new audience, lift ratings and extend the life of a series. 

As more and more shows find their audience on platforms like Xfinity On Demand, the time-shifted views both inside and outside of Nielsen’s three-day ratings window are changing the game. For example, FOX recently reported the total national L+30 views for the premiere episode of Gotham were 22.2 million, 74 percent of which were time-shifted on DVR or video on demand platforms after the live airing. 

While we saw a similar split between live and time-shifted viewing in Comcast households, we took a deeper look at our data to see exactly how Xfinity customers were watching Gotham. Of the 4.3 million views of the premiere in L+30 on our platform:

  • 28 percent were live

  • 28 percent came from DVR

  • 43 percent happened on Xfinity On Demand. That’s 1.9 million views, or 8.5 percent of the total national audience for the show, within the first 30 days.

 Xfinity On Demand has become a regular part of the weekly viewing routines of more than 70% of our customers, which leads to new audience and higher ratings as our customers discover, catch up and stay current on new and existing shows. While Gotham has seen great success since its launch this fall, after several weeks of ratings decline, the series posted its first ratings increase seven episodes into the season and consistently ranks in the top 10 in our Xfinity On Demand Top 20.   In this time-shifted world, On Demand viewing is becoming a critical part to the success of new and existing current season TV shows like Gotham. This season has been a turning point as more networks are noticing the positive impact it can have on increasing audience, opening up more opportunities for advertisers, and increasing choice for consumers.