Vizimo

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Jan. 13, 2009) -

Editors Note: A photo is included with this press release.

iPhone users appear to be avid BBC watchers, according to unusual statistics from listings technology company Vizimo. The company - whose Tioti TV+ application for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch devices enable people to remotely programme their Sky+ box to record programmes - found that no less than 39 of the 50 most-recorded programmes over the Christmas holidays were screened either on BBC1, BBC2, BBC3 or BBC HD.

Seven of the remaining places were taken by Channel 4 programmes with just four ITV1 programmes making up the top 50. Only one non-BBC programme - Harry Hill's TV Burp Review of the Year, shown on Boxing Day on ITV - made the Top Ten.

The most recorded programme was the Doctor Who Christmas Special, which aired at 6pm on Christmas Day on BBC1. All of the Top Five were BBC1 programmes, with all of the top four airing on Christmas Day.

Half of the Top 20 most frequently recorded programmes were broadcast on Christmas Day and eight of those - the exceptions were Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (4.30pm) and Top of the Pops Christmas Special (2pm) - were broadcast after 6pm.

The Queen's Christmas Message, broadcast at 3pm on Christmas Day as always, did not make the Top Fifty.

"The Top 20 contains several instances of conflicting, popular programmes. One possibility is that people used Tioti TV+ on their iPhone to programme their Sky+ boxes in order to avoid an argument with another member of their household - a perfect use of Sky+. Or, some people may have recorded a programme simply because they didn't want to spend their Christmas Day watching TV, but just wanted to watch the programmes later," said Simon Steward, Vizimo's CEO.

"The presence of Doctor Who in first place might be down to the show's popularity, or it might be down to the fact that at 6pm on Christmas Day many families are still only halfway through their turkey so are recording it. Anonymous statistics get us so far, but more qualitative research would be needed to establish more detail," he added.

Individual shows aside, the heavy presence of Auntie in the top fifty could also have a number of explanations. "This data doesn't confirm what people are watching per se, but it does give a good idea of what people really don't want to miss," explained Steward. "The recording bias seems to suggest that the BBC has more unmissable content than other broadcasters - or perhaps that it got the scheduling wrong and aired its most popular content when people wanted to be doing something else."

More than 400 TV channels are now available in the UK, and more than 90% of households now have at least one form of multi-channel digital TV service - digital TV receiver, satellite or cable.

Steward concludes: "Given the choice available it seems astounding that the BBC all but cleaned up where recording programmes is concerned. It's also slightly ironic that people are using their Sky+ box to record programmes, yet not a single programme made the top fifty that wasn't free-to-air in some form."

Apple, iPhone and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the United States and other countries.

Top 20 programmes recorded using Tioti TV+ on an iPhone or iPod touch to set a Sky+ box

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Programme recorded                        Channel    Broadcast date and time
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Doctor Who                                BBC1       Christmas Day, 6pm
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Wallace and Gromit                        BBC1       Christmas Day, 8.30pm
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The Royle Family                          BBC1       Christmas Day, 9.30pm
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Blackadder Rides Again                    BBC1       Christmas Day, 10.30pm
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Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special        BBC1       Christmas Eve, 10pm
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Harry Hill's TV Burp Review of the Year   ITV1       Boxing Day, 7pm
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Top Gear Vietnam Special                  BBC2       December 28th, 8pm
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Madagascar                                BBC1       Boxing Day, 4.10pm
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Match of the Day                          BBC1       Boxing Day, 11.05pm
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Top Gear                                  BBC2       Christmas Day, 9.30pm
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Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of
 the Were-Rabbit                          BBC1       Christmas Day, 4.30pm
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Dragons' Den Around the World             BBC2       Christmas Day, 8.30pm
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The 39 Steps                              BBC1       December 28th, 8pm
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Top of the Pops Christmas Special         BBC1       Christmas Day, 2pm
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Shrek the Halls                           BBC1       Christmas Eve, 7.30pm
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8 Out of 10 Cats Christmas Special        Channel 4  Boxing Day, 10.50pm
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Wallace and Gromit                        BBC HD     Christmas Day, 8.30pm
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Strictly Come Dancing Christmas
 Special 2008                             BBC1       Christmas Day, 7pm
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Fonejacker Christmas Special              Channel 4  Boxing Day, 11.40pm
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Have I Got News for You Christmas 2008    BBC1       Christmas Eve, 9.30pm
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Tioti TV+Screenshots: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vizimo/sets/72157610530955359/

Notes to editors

1. Tioti TV+ for iPhone and iPod touch, from Vizimo, helps to work out how best to see everything that you want to watch, and enables discovery of new content that you may also be interested in but didn't know about. Launched in December 2008, Tioti TV+ may be downloaded from the App Store for just Pounds Sterling 1.79.

2. Users of other mobile phones may use the service by visiting wap.tioti.com on their handset.

3. The software displays programme schedules for the week ahead across dozens of channels. Choose the programmes you're interested in, channel by channel, without having to remember what you've chosen. Then, when you've explored as many channel listings as you want, choose 'My TV' - and the software produces what is, in effect, a personalised TV channel for you, telling you which channel you need to be watching and at what time.

4. With just a couple of clicks, iPhone and iPod touch users can even programme their Sky+ box to record specific shows, helping to resolve schedule conflicts: watch one channel while recording another. Vizimo's iPhone and iPod application will programme your Sky+ box over the internet so you can do it from anywhere, anytime.

5. No individually-identifiable data was collected by Vizimo.

6. For more information, visit http://vizimopressoffice.blogspot.com/ (press office) or http://www.vizimo.com/ (web site).

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20090112-both800.jpg