Fox’s DVR Campaign for ‘The Following’ Pays Off With Initial Live+3 Boost

The Following James Purefoy in Handcuffs - H 2013

FOX

The Following is off to a good start in DVR views. Fox's freshman thriller, which asked viewers to "set their DVRs" in its marketing campaign, grew its demo audience by 34 percent within three days of its premiere.

Nielsen's live-plus-three-day ratings for Monday's debut of The Following have the show growing by more than a point, from a 3.2 to a 4.3 rating with adults 18-49. That keeps the series in second position to Revolution (5.4 live-plus-three, up 33 percent) among one-hour freshman, just topping Elementary (4.2 live-plus-three, up 35 percent).

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The movement also gives The Following a better live-plus-three showing than last year's freshman Fox dramas Terra Nova (4.1 adults) and Alcatraz (4.0 adults), both of which outperformed The Following in live-plus-same-day.

Among Monday competition, The Following also got the biggest boost of all broadcast network shows in raw point growth. Its live-plus-three jump eclipsed Monday heavyweights 2 Broke Girls (up .9 to a 4.6 adults rating) and How I Met Your Mother (up .8 to a 4.5 adults rating) -- though the series' cumulative scores still have them as the night's top performers.

Live-plus-three remains to be the magic measurement for advertisers, but networks have been placing an increased emphasis on a full week's worth of DVR viewing all season. Live-plus-seven ratings for the premiere of The Following will be available in early February.

Michael O'Connell