In addition to enviable ratings and a significant Golden Globe nomination, FX’s American Horror Story can add most time-shifted show to its honors.
The Connie Britton-Dylan McDermott thriller from the co-creators of Glee, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, has topped Nielsen’s year-end list, thanks to the 95.3 percent lift it sees weekly from DVR viewing. Both the show’s dark nature and complexity of its story arcs along with its growing ratings and buzz likely contributed to viewers’ continued interest throughout the week.
The remainder of the Nielsen list, which looks at the bump in the seven day window following a show’s live airing, is dominated by other cable series, including other top 5 entries USA’s Covert Affairs (95.1 percent), Suits (94.5 percent), TNT’s Franklin & Bash (92 percent) and USA’s Psych (90.3 percent).
The exception is Fox’s Fringe, a long-running sci-fi series that has maintained its spot on the network’s schedule despite lackluster live ratings on a weekly basis. To be sure, both its loyal following and its ability to draw DVR viewers to the series at other times throughout the week have played a key role in the series’ survival.
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Here’s a look at the rest of Nielsen’s list of the Top Time-Shifted Primetime Programs:
6. FX’s Sons of Anarchy – 85.8 percent
7. USA’s White Collar – 85.6 percent
8. FX’s Justified – 83.9 percent
9. Fox’s Fringe – 80.3 percent
10. A&E’s The Glades – 78.8 percent
