Deep In the Flawed Nielsen Ratings System [Ratings]

It happens to every body: your new favorite show is doomed from the start, all due to bad Nielsen ratings . But why will we take heed to these Nielsen people, anyway? Splitsider explains who they’re , and why they’re wrong.

Nielsen, it turns out , is a billion-dollar business built to measure the what number people watch not TV shows , but T.V. ads:

The numbers that networks and advertisers actually use – to sell ads, to set prices, and to choose the fate of a show – are commercial ratings. In other words, advertisers don’t care what percentage everyone is watching a show nearly as much as they care what number everyone is watching their ads. Nielsen provides this number, which takes under consideration everything from next-day DVR viewing to fast-forwarding through commercials. If every Nielsen Family watched a show the day after it aired but skipped through all its ads, that show would probably be canceled.

Also not included: Hulu and Netflix views. Or On-Demand views through cable providers. It’s not that folk aren’t watching your favorite show; it’s that they’re not watching the proper way.

There’s hope, though; Nielsen’s stepping up their consideration of digital views, and some competitors are now offering better overall coverage. Too late to avoid wasting Party Down! But hopefully in time for the following great overlooked show. Investigate cross-check the total breakdown here . [ Splitsider ]

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This post is tagged: advertisers, cable providers, commercials, dollar business, favorite show, nielsen family, nielsen ratings