Since the Nielsen ratings are pretty much a joke,why are they still used? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

LUNCH · 04-02-2012, 01:16 PM

I'll be the first one to tell you I'm certainly no expert on how these things work.Plus,I know this may be a boring and technical question,but seriously why do TV channels still use the Nielsen ratings? I know they used to be fairly accurate,but that certainly is not the case anymore and has not been for years.Why should ONLY one company-Nielsen who seem to be clueless still have such power and influence on what is shown on television?

tiredmike59 · 04-02-2012, 01:32 PM

According to J.D Power & Associates, There was a Gallup poll showing Nielsen ratings are useless. You can't get better information than that. Just kidding,heh,heh,heh

EmoJoe · 04-02-2012, 02:29 PM

They're still useful for advertisers, even if they're a **** way to measure TV ratings, and advertisers pretty much run the show so...

LUNCH · 04-02-2012, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

They're still useful for advertisers, even if they're a **** way to measure TV ratings, and advertisers pretty much run the show so...

Surely even advertisers must know by now how way off the Nielsen ratings have become so I don't even see how they can be useful for them either.

EmoJoe · 04-02-2012, 04:19 PM

They're resistant to change I guess. One of the the reasons they're so off is because people are watching online & on DVRs more...which means they're watching less ads, so they're not going to be for a ratings system that includes that data.

ajgenard · 04-02-2012, 04:38 PM

The SOLE reason that Nielsen is still as big and powerful as ever, despite being tragically flawed, is very simple - they are the only real game in town. It is the only method that offers concrete numbers indicating viewership for networks and advertisers to use. They hold an unfair monopoly and nothing will change until they are challenged by someone with a superior ratings system.

James28 · 04-02-2012, 05:31 PM

Why are the Nielsen Ratings even a "joke", anyway?

I know how the Nielsen ratings work: A person (or persons) viewing the program is/are detected by the television set and the info is carried to the Nielsen headquarters and stored in a computer there to be added up to the total viewership numbers.

The 18-49 demographic is a different story: Does this mean the age of the view(s) are detected as well?

LUNCH · 04-02-2012, 06:01 PM

They have become a joke because these days with all the channels,DVRs etc. etc.there is NO way the thousand or so Nielsen households can even come close to represent in an accurate way what programs are really being watched and not watched.--And who are these Nielsen households anyhow? For all I know Nielsen nowadays may require most of them to be fans of Jerry Springer type trash or not be picked.--And of course as mentioned,Nielsen is the only ratings system which is absurd. That is just the tip of the iceberg,at least from what I know.

TVFactFan · 04-02-2012, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

They're resistant to change I guess. One of the the reasons they're so off is because people are watching online & on DVRs more...which means they're watching less ads, so they're not going to be for a ratings system that includes that data.

TV Guide has a section that lists the top shows that were on DVR's more but not online.

EmoJoe · 04-02-2012, 10:41 PM

Yeah, there are ways to calculate DVR data, but as of right now they're not used much (although they seem to be getting more and more prevalent). Like I said, advertisers are resistant because they know very well everyone fast forwards through the commercials on DVR.

My problem with Nielson ratings runs a little deeper than the internet/DVR issue (though that certainly helps). Now that there's a wide variety of channels the statistical data Nielson uses just can't be as accurate as when it was a competition between three networks. Plus, Nielson ratings are always calculated primarily in family households so family-orientated programming gets the upper hand. Not everyone's a family household...there's quite a lot of people getting left out because of that.

LUNCH · 04-03-2012, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

Yeah, there are ways to calculate DVR data, but as of right now they're not used much (although they seem to be getting more and more prevalent). Like I said, advertisers are resistant because they know very well everyone fast forwards through the commercials on DVR.

It's almost funny.If I understand this correctly, in effect advertisers do not want to know how many people are NOT watching their commercials. Plus for whatever reasons, maybe Nielsen themselves does not want their advertisers to know that a lot of commercials are simply not being viewed by many people anymore.

TVFactFan · 04-03-2012, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUNCH

It's almost funny.If I understand this correctly, in effect advertisers do not want to know how many people are NOT watching their commercials. Plus for whatever reasons, maybe Nielsen themselves does not want their advertisers to know that a lot of commercials are simply not being viewed by many people anymore.

I believe that is true because everytime I ask someone..."Did you see that new commercial"

The reply is always..."NOPE"

LOL

Regulus · 04-03-2012, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUNCH

It's almost funny.If I understand this correctly, in effect advertisers do not want to know how many people are NOT watching their commercials. Plus for whatever reasons, maybe Nielsen themselves does not want their advertisers to know that a lot of commercials are simply not being viewed by many people anymore.

I wonder, does Nielson have the ability to determine if a Commercial is even being watched, or is everyone jumping on the "Mute" Switch whenever that particular Commercial is being aired? With today's technology, I'm certain determining this is certainly possible. Traditionally, the Nielson Ratings have been used by TV Stations and Networks to set their Advertising Prices. Today there are so many ways to get around Commercials, such as the aforementioned DVR. (With so many of Todays Commercials being unbearable to watch, I don't blame those who use DVRs to get past them).

There should be a way to determine if a Company's Advertisements are being watched, or if they are being Muted Out or Fast-Forwarded. I think a lot of Bad Commercials would cease to exist if it could be proven they are simply being ignored.

James28 · 04-04-2012, 04:48 PM

A "Nielsen Household" must represent one TV set and not a household itself. There are households that own more than one TV set.

TVFactFan · 04-04-2012, 07:01 PM

Here is the most recent list of Top TV shows recorded on DVR

1.NCIS-CBS
2. Dancing with the Stars-ABC
3.American Idol-FOX Wed
4.NCIS LA-CBS
5.American Idol-Fox Thurs
6.Criminal Minds-CBS
7.Castle-CBS
8.CSI-CBS
9.Touch-FOX
10.The Voice-NBC
11. Two and a Half Man-CBS
12. Unforgettable-CBS

04-02-2012, 01:16 PM	#1
LUNCH Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 23, 2010 Location: New York State Posts: 1,304	Since the Nielsen ratings are pretty much a joke,why are they still used? I'll be the first one to tell you I'm certainly no expert on how these things work.Plus,I know this may be a boring and technical question,but seriously why do TV channels still use the Nielsen ratings? I know they used to be fairly accurate,but that certainly is not the case anymore and has not been for years.Why should ONLY one company-Nielsen who seem to be clueless still have such power and influence on what is shown on television?

04-02-2012, 02:29 PM	#3
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	They're still useful for advertisers, even if they're a **** way to measure TV ratings, and advertisers pretty much run the show so...
	__________________ "I know the difference between TV and reality, Jeff. TV has structure, it makes sense, there are likable leading men. In real life, we have this. We have you." - Abed Nadir, Community www.sitcomsarestupid.blogspot.com

04-02-2012, 05:31 PM	#7
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,982	Why are the Nielsen Ratings even a "joke", anyway? I know how the Nielsen ratings work: A person (or persons) viewing the program is/are detected by the television set and the info is carried to the Nielsen headquarters and stored in a computer there to be added up to the total viewership numbers. The 18-49 demographic is a different story: Does this mean the age of the view(s) are detected as well?
	__________________ "When the run of a network TV show has ended, some go out with a bang, some with a whimper, but all are...Future Endeavored." "Stay Safe"? More like "Stay Sad". #2020Hurts

04-02-2012, 06:01 PM	#8
LUNCH Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 23, 2010 Location: New York State Posts: 1,304	They have become a joke because these days with all the channels,DVRs etc. etc.there is NO way the thousand or so Nielsen households can even come close to represent in an accurate way what programs are really being watched and not watched.--And who are these Nielsen households anyhow? For all I know Nielsen nowadays may require most of them to be fans of Jerry Springer type trash or not be picked.--And of course as mentioned,Nielsen is the only ratings system which is absurd. That is just the tip of the iceberg,at least from what I know.
	Last edited by LUNCH; 04-03-2012 at 12:03 PM.

04-02-2012, 01:32 PM	#2
tiredmike59 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 05, 2010 Location: OUTLAW STATE {MO} Posts: 1,868	According to J.D Power & Associates, There was a Gallup poll showing Nielsen ratings are useless. You can't get better information than that. Just kidding,heh,heh,heh

04-02-2012, 04:19 PM	#5
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	They're resistant to change I guess. One of the the reasons they're so off is because people are watching online & on DVRs more...which means they're watching less ads, so they're not going to be for a ratings system that includes that data.

04-02-2012, 04:38 PM	#6
ajgenard Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 09, 2011 Location: PA Posts: 369	The SOLE reason that Nielsen is still as big and powerful as ever, despite being tragically flawed, is very simple - they are the only real game in town. It is the only method that offers concrete numbers indicating viewership for networks and advertisers to use. They hold an unfair monopoly and nothing will change until they are challenged by someone with a superior ratings system.

04-02-2012, 10:41 PM	#10
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	Yeah, there are ways to calculate DVR data, but as of right now they're not used much (although they seem to be getting more and more prevalent). Like I said, advertisers are resistant because they know very well everyone fast forwards through the commercials on DVR. My problem with Nielson ratings runs a little deeper than the internet/DVR issue (though that certainly helps). Now that there's a wide variety of channels the statistical data Nielson uses just can't be as accurate as when it was a competition between three networks. Plus, Nielson ratings are always calculated primarily in family households so family-orientated programming gets the upper hand. Not everyone's a family household...there's quite a lot of people getting left out because of that.

04-04-2012, 04:48 PM	#14
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,982	A "Nielsen Household" must represent one TV set and not a household itself. There are households that own more than one TV set.

04-04-2012, 07:01 PM	#15
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,067	Here is the most recent list of Top TV shows recorded on DVR 1.NCIS-CBS 2. Dancing with the Stars-ABC 3.American Idol-FOX Wed 4.NCIS LA-CBS 5.American Idol-Fox Thurs 6.Criminal Minds-CBS 7.Castle-CBS 8.CSI-CBS 9.Touch-FOX 10.The Voice-NBC 11. Two and a Half Man-CBS 12. Unforgettable-CBS