What do Ben Roethlisberger's Super Bowl choke and "Two and a Half Men's" send-off to deceased cad Charlie Harper have in common? They were the most-TiVo'ed moments on television in 2011.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger's incomplete pass to Mike Wallace during Super Bowl XLV was the year's most "time-shifted" television moment, according to DVR company TiVo's newly released annual report.
Coming in second was the eulogy for Charlie Sheen's character on "Two and a Half Men" during the show's September season premiere.
The Best Pictures Oscar win for "The King's Speech" at the Academy Awards came in third, while "Modern Family" — a DVR favorite — rounded out TiVo's Top 5 television moments with its "After the Fire" and "Hit and Run" episodes.
Also read: CBS: "Two and a Half Men" Ratings Surge Validates Network's Decision to Bring Show Back
Speaking of "Modern Family," the ABC comedy has overtaken "Grey's Anatomy" as the top-ranked show on the company's "Season Pass" list, which automatically records shows week-to-week, regardless of time-slot changes.
The medical drama had held the top ranking for months. (In this case, DVR use appears to echo real-time viewing; "Modern Family" consistently leads the ratings on Wednesday nights.)
In terms of network breakdown, the most-DVR'ed series — at least within the scope of TiVo's study — air on the CW, with "The Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl" and "Smallville" being viewed in time-shifted mode more than 83 percent of the time.
This would seem to be in alignment with the CW's younger audience, which presumably has better things to do than plunk itself in front of the television in accordance with the network's dictated schedule.