TV Week recently noted that despite Dollhouse's low ratings, which have led many to believe it will likely be canceled at the end of this season, Fox execs "are holding out a glimmer of hope for the show, noting its loyal core and its strong DVR numbers."
So could DVR viewing save Dollhouse? In short, probably not. Mostly because those "strong DVR numbers" aren't really that great.
TV by the Numbers breaks it down:
[Dollhouse] has good DVR numbers, and relative to the overall viewing, a very high percentage of DVR viewers. It also ranks fairly well (18th, for the week ending April 5) in terms of 18-49 ratings boost over and above live plus same day DVR ratings we commonly report, once a full week of DVR viewing is factored in.
Dollhouse is no Lost or House – and I don’t think anyone is expecting it to be — when it comes to Live+7 adults 18-49 rating versus Live+SD rating. For the April 3rd episode of Dollhouse, the full week of DVR viewing boosted its LIVE+SD 18-49 rating from 1.46 to 1.96 (by comparison LOST went from a 4.3 to a 5.25). Again, on a ratings point increase basis, that would’ve ranked 18th for the week. Not bad at all. The problem is, even with that boost, when you look at Dollhouse’s adults 18-49 ranking for Live+7 viewers, it was 51st. Nothing to get really excited about.
Given the small total audience, the DVR viewing is impressive, but the problem is, it still winds up with a small total audience...
As for the DVR numbers, if more people were watching the show live or even on DVR the same night, it might be different. If the 18-49 rating was being boosted from a 2.0 to a 2.5, or even a 1.6 to a 2.1, the .5 boost might perhaps be enough. But for this past Friday, assuming DVR viewing held steady, we’re looking at a boost from a 1.2 to a 1.7 (or a 1.3 to a 1.8 if it went up to a 1.3 in the final numbers). So for now, while it makes for a good vehicle for spin, and looks good on both a % increase and boost to Live+SD rating basis, on an absolute basis it still doesn’t look so good. Even for Fridays.
