Top television programmes are holding onto their US audiences even when the shows are recorded and played back on digital video recorders (DVRs), but data released yesterday confirms that users are fast-forwarding some of the related commercials.

Nielsen Media Research, the ratings company whose audience measurements serve as the benchmark for advertising-supported TV, started releasing in May a rating that measures how many viewers continue to watch a TV programme during the commercial breaks.

As well as measuring live viewing, the Nielsen ratings measure the viewing of programmes recorded on DVRs, which are now used by 17 per cent of US households and growing.

In an analysis of behaviour during the first week of May, Nielsen said 58 per cent of households with DVRs watched prime-time broadcast television live, with the other 42 per cent recording the shows.

The increase in DVR use has led to calls by advertisers for new ways of measuring television audiences. About $70bn is spent on TV advertising in the US every year, but many advertisers are frustrated by poor information about its effectiveness.

In current negotiations for television advertising deals, detailed feedback and data on the audience for commercials is increasingly being demanded by advertisers and marketers.

Sara Erichson, executive vice-president of client services at Nielsen, said she expected Nielsen's clients would start to use some of the new data "for negotiating and buying and selling of advertising".