5 Most and Least-Watched Cable Channels via TiVo

“Real Housewives,” “Doctor Who” viewership habits battle for first place

Bravo may not be cable’s most-watched channel, but it’s well ahead of the pack by at least one viewing metric.

TiVo Research recently released its findings from an in-depth DVR study, which showed 69 percent of primetime Bravo viewing was time-shifted — watched outside of its initial airtime — over the most recent three-month quarter. BBC America finished second, with a 60.3 percent rate.

Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise explains the big lead. Runner-up BBCA can thank “Doctor Who.”

Here’s what TiVo Research found for the fourth quarter of 2015:

Most Time-Shifted Cable Network, Primetime
1. Bravo: 69 percent
2. BBC America: 60.3 percent
3. AMC: 59.9 percent
4. FX: 59.3 percent
5. Syfy: 58 percent

It’s important to note that this particular study only counted TiVo users, and not other DVR subscribers.

The least time-shifted cable channels shouldn’t be shocking to some degree: sports, news and kids programming are overwhelmingly watched live. The fifth one, though, is somewhat surprising — or at least, it seems somewhat out of place.

Here are those:

Least Time-Shifted Cable Networks, Primetime
1. The Weather Channel: 15 percent
2. ESPN: 18 percent
3. Sprout: 19 percent
4. ESPN2: 19.6 percent
5. TBS: 20.3 percent

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