‘Gotham,’ ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ surge in first live+7 ratings

It often takes a good while for live+7 ratings to come in, mostly because you have to compile a full week’s worth of DVR viewing.

Nonetheless, we’ve not had a chance to see the data from the first full week of TV viewing this fall, and there are quite a few little things to take note of from start to finish. Scripted shows are still recorded more than reality, and drama more than comedy. In addition, this seems to be a preferred way to check out new programming.

For example, “Gotham” was extremely impressive in rising from a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic for its premiere to a 6.0, per data compiled by TVbythenumbers. This is the biggest total and percentage gain in the demo for any show with this data factored in. Does this bode well for Fox? Sure. While you may want more of these people to watch live, this almost means to us that a “Gotham” season 2 is practically a lock already.

Meanwhile, the same may go for “How to Get Away with Murder,” which already has a full season of 15 episodes. (Viola Davis contractually is only signed to do this many a season so she can continue to do other projects.) While it did not have the same gains in the demo, it did add seven million total viewers in DVR viewing, which means that more than 21 million tuned in to watch the premiere.

Ultimately, new shows really need these huge numbers. Unlike cable, there is already a large promotional mechanism for them going in, so there is less of the “you’ll discover it later” phenomenon. While there are exceptions like “Scandal” and shows like “The Big Bang Theory” that are aided by syndication, often we see new shows never reach the ratings of their premiere ever again during their run.

We’ll be keeping track of this throughout the rest of the fall season, so don’t worry about whether or not there will be more information out there.