HOW CABLE TV RATINGS ARE COLLECTED

Posted in Television by admin on January 21st, 2010

HOW CABLE TV RATINGS ARE COLLECTED

The Nielsen Company uses random sampling to get a wide cross-section of people grouped in different age, ethnic, geographic and other demographic categories. This helps create a more accurate estimate of the larger number of people across the greater population watching a program when selecting candidates to participate in the ratings surveys.
Nielsen has two main ways of collecting information from TV viewers. The first is through meters connected to TVs in the homes of people who are selected and agree to take part. The meters record minute by minute data on which programs and channels are being watched at any given time in the household, and by which members of that household. That information is relayed back to Nielsen each night via modem, compiled and sent to cable networks as well as broadcast networks and affiliates, each morning for the overnight ratings. The meters also track which programs are recorded with DVDs and watched up to a week later. Nielsen has made a deal with charter communications to receive data directly from the cable box/DVDs, and is looking to do the same with other cable providers as well, though that can only track what is being watched and not who is watching. In addition, during the four sweeps months, November, February, May and July Nielsen selects additional people to keep dairies of their TV viewing habits for one week. These diaries are mailed back and added into the ratings.

Having compiled the data, cable networks analyze the ratings points and the demographic makeup of their viewership and use the information to set the advertising rates they charge sponsors during specific programs, and at given time periods. The numbers are also used to gauge the popularity of their shows to help them decide which shows to keep airing and where the strengths and weaknesses of their schedules are. free movie trailers online