Ah the good old days. As a broadcaster you started a new comedy and the next day you knew if it was a success. Did it work, or do we need to put in some extra commercial time? That was basically the only question they needed to ask themselves. Now, math is back on and many need their calculator.

For now only 23% of the TV owners own a DVR in the United States, but this is already double the amount compared to the 2006-07 season. With them choosing their own time slot and being proved TV addicts, broadcasters need to wait a week before they can say if the show was a success. The impact they have on a show's rating is magnified.

"People with DVRs have the capability of watching this stuff whenever they want," says ABC's Larry Hyams to USA Today. Secondly Hyams adds that most-recorded shows have ratings higher than 40% in DVR homes. A great example is the succesful show Lost. Last season the amount of "Live" viewers decreased with 12% to 11.3 million, but when factoring those who delayed their experience it was only a decline of 7% on the same day.

Currently broadcasters start to feel this in their pockets due to a decrease in advertising income. For now they've the possibility to charge advertisers for the delayed viewership, but only within three days. It seems that DVR owners are becoming a serious danger because of their delay and ad-skipping mentality.