Everyone is always up in arms about the Nielsen ratings, saying they don't accurately represent the shows that a lot of people like or aren't measured correctly or simply don't matter in this age of DVRs, iTunes, network web sites, and DVDs. Now it looks like the networks are giving a thought to providing an alternative. CBS, NBC, Disney, News Corp, Discovery, Time Warner, and Viacom are getting together and hope to have some sort of plan on what the "consortium" will do by the end of September. A VP at Starcom MediaVest, one of the companies involved, says that they don't necessarily want to replace Nielsen but there's no reason why another company can't "come in and do both [TV measurement and digital measurement]"
[via TV Tattle]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-14-2009 @ 9:37PM
Darren said...
There has to be a much better way to get ratings then by the useless Nielsons
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8-15-2009 @ 6:32AM
CJ said...
About time!
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8-15-2009 @ 1:49AM
miller980 said...
Talk about the foxes guarding the henhouse. I'm sure this consortium will suddenly find millions of missing viewers and think that will justify their ever increasing ad rates. Unfortunately, the writing is on the wall. Television viewership will continue to decrease as there are more and more options for people's time. Companies are finally starting to question the value of the millions they spend on television advertising and the networks and production companies are going to have to get used to the fact that the gravy train days are over.
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8-15-2009 @ 5:16AM
bruce said...
They're just now realizing this? Now that highly-watched shows like TSCC are already cancelled and thrown in the trash because of "low nielsen ratings"... what assholes.
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8-15-2009 @ 11:33PM
mike said...
what makes you think that TSCC was a highly watched show?
8-16-2009 @ 12:33AM
bruce said...
Mike, all the DVR numbers and web viewings indicate it was one of the most watched scripted shows on TV. But DVR numbers and all other numbers are not "Nielsen ratings" so they don't matter. Only people who watch the show live, on Friday night or saturday night, whenever Fox feels like putting it on, and whichever people who are able to find when it's on, and wait around through any sports preemptions, actually count for the Nielsen ratings. Which is asinine. If everyone who watched every episode (no matter when/where) of TSCC were counted, it would turn out to be one of the most highly watched shows on TV. No, not as much as Grey's Anatomy, but a lot more than "The Unit" or "Numb3rs" or "Private Practice" or many other shows on TV.
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