Why nielsen ratings are flawed

In , Nielsen proudly announced it would monitor and rate internet streamed programming. As evidenced by the loss of accreditation from MRC, that venture has proven to be less than successful. But in actuality, Nielsen was already well behind the curve when it made that announcement over eight years ago.

Audience viewership had been adapting to changing technology long before Nielsen concluded it had to, or more accurately was forced to, monitor the many new ways viewers are accessing news and entertainment.

Nielsen appears to believe that it can return to its previous monopoly status by updating its antiquated methods with available technology. Having consistently and repeatedly taken too long to adapt to changing technology and to the viewing habits of a changing America, Nielsen has lost the trust of advertisers and media organizations alike.

I would be fine if they polled from my converter box at the end of each day. Take a million or a 5 million household sampling. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading Next Post Next post: Opening Day.

I also agree that they cancel some really good shows. It always bothers me. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:.

When you find out that your favorite show is getting canceled for having a 1. There is no real defense against The Number. And it feels terrible! Comedy fans know this better than anyone else, or perhaps they just suffer with the least grace. Nearly everyone has a passing familiarity with this old company — you know, Nielsen boxes, the Nielsen metrics, the Nielsen Families. It sounds foreign, especially to web-savvy viewer who watches as much comedy on his laptop as on his TV. Nobody I talked to in the industry — be it on the ratings side or the advertising side — would dispute this story, or others like it.

Some even granted that the numbers were probably off. Unanimously, though, they agreed on one thing: to focus on events like that is to miss the point. How Ratings Work. These people, of which there are about 50, in 20, households , are approached by Nielsen to participate, and paid a token amount for their time and effort. This broad sample differentiates Nielsen from smaller competitors like TiVo, whose subscribers tend to be wealthier than average.

Probably not. But still: maybe. Some households are monitored passively, but the real valuable Nielsen data — the stuff the networks pay for — comes from its People Meters.

These things:. The box even knows which family member is watching, by means of a small remote control. The numbers represent share of total viewers: a raw 1.