Of the people who went to NBC.com to watch an episode of their favorite show online, forty-eight percent of users viewed a stream of at least one segment of Heroes, the sites top show. Interestingly, NBCUs research showed that thirty-five percent of the users went online to sample Heroes for the first time, and that ninety-six percent of them continued watching the series, both online and over traditional TV. So in this case, online viewing of shows is actually prompting more live TV viewing. NBCU is utilizing this data to pitch clients on a 360 degree package that allows advertisers to reach and further engage viewers both through conventional TV and online.
One other interesting pattern revealed by the NBCU team was a slight increase in online viewing of NBC Rewind shows during lunchtime on workdays, suggesting that online drtv might be producing a new form of primetime. However, the study also shows that the heaviest usage of the site continues to be at nighttime, during conventional TV primetime hours.