How do TV show ratings work? Meaning, do I make a difference sitting at home watching the TV show I like?

Question

Do cable companies report how many people watch certain shows? How do they know how many viewers and what shows are the most watched? Does little 'ole me make a difference? Are my shows I watch counted?

Answer 1

Nielsen Media Research randomly selects households to participate in one of two ways. The first is participation in the nationwide overnight ratings. Nielsen will give your household People Meters, which track which channels are on. Members of the household have to check in with the box. At night, Nielsen collects the data via modem (Nielsen pays for the equipment).

The second rating system, for the four sweeps periods, is less invasive, but more involved for members of the household. Each television set has a diary assigned to it. Members of the household must write down which programs they watched and at what times. They must also write down when the television was on but nobody was watching.

The four sweeps periods are February, May, July, and November. Sweeps periods are for network affiliates of small markets. The largest markets are moving toward People Meters.

A sweeps diary household participates for one week only.

In any event, Nielsen contacts you to participate. If you agree, you get $1 per television set for your time.

Answer 2

nope! there is a census system called the neilson ratings. people take part in these surveys and report what is on their TV's whenever it is on. i tried to do it once, becuase i is hard to pay attention to what channel is on when you have company or something. what they do is they take the surveys that these people turn in once a week, i think it is a tuesday, but dont quote me on that and the project or make an educated guess about what everone else is watching based on the people that send in the ratings

Answer 3

You sign up with Nielsen ratings system and they send you a box which records what programming you're viewing.