'The Apprentice' most searched show on Virgin's TiVo

Virgin Media has revealed that The Apprentice is the most searched TV show on its TiVo service, while the new converged TV platform is also changing the way users find and watch programmes.

The cable operator has today published its latest entertainment trends report, offering a first look at how the TiVo service is impacting the habits of TV viewers.

The second Virgin Media Entertainment Index revealed that users are increasingly accessing programming away from the traditional electronic programme guide (EPG), with one in four channel views on TiVo coming via other means, such as search and recommendation.

Virgin Media said that "compared to other digital platforms where the EPG is the sole means of accessing channels, this is a marked shift by early adopters in how they find and watch what they want".

One of the primary features of the TiVo service is a search and recommendation engine that enables people to discover content, while also making suggestions of things they may like. Initial search findings show that half of the programmes most searched for by TiVo users were not among the top 50 most watched shows in the first half of the year according to BARB data.

The Apprentice was the most searched term, followed by Channel 4's drama Camelot and the BBC's Doctor Who, but the list also included lower rating shows such as Dexter on FX and Fringe on Sky1.

The top ten most searched terms by Virgin Media TiVo customers were:

1. The Apprentice
2. Camelot
3. Doctor Who
4. House
5. Glee
6. EastEnders
7. Dexter
8. Casualty
9. Desperate Housewives
10. Fringe

Virgin Media believes that the search list reflects "the growing success and relevance of word of mouth social recommendations or marketing campaigns rather than their scheduling and prominence".

The TiVo service also includes a range of apps, such as YouTube and a new Harry Potter app, and 79% of all TiVo set top boxes were used to access an app in the first half of 2011. On average, each box launched apps 4.5 times per week during the period.

Virgin Media executive director of digital entertainment Cindy Rose said: "TV will never be the same again. Our TiVo Service takes television viewing to another level by seamlessly combining traditional channels and on-demand with the best of the web, making it easier to find and uncover amazing programmes.

"The discovery tools for the next generation will be search, browsable collections and recommendations. There's such a vast world of great entertainment that it's exciting our early adopters are already exploring what the TiVo Service can do and we'll continue to refine and build upon our lead in connected TVs."

Across Virgin Media's entire TV subscriber base in the first half of the year, customers made 484 million requests for on-demand content, up 19% on the same period of 2010.