How do broadcasting newtworks find out their ratings?

Question

For example, is there any machine that counts how many people are tuned in? Can these companies get ratings for people that are watching them globally or is it just nationally?

Answer 1

One of my cousins work for a survey company, they drive vans equipped with instruments that detect just by passing in front of a house what channel or radio station you are tuned in, or how many tv's you have, all they do is drive the streets at normal speed and all the information they gather is feed to a main computer, that's how they get the ratings..☺

Answer 2

You know, Yahoo Answers has an archive, where you're supposed to go first before asking a question. This question has been asked and answered twice already in about as many weeks.

Overnight ratings are compiled using Nielsen's People Meter. The overnight ratings sample randomly selected households across the United States.

Ratings for sweeps periods (November, February, May, and July) are determined by using diaries that are sent to randomly selected households in each television market. Sweeps periods are for small markets to get their ratings.

Answer 3

They subscribe to a service provided mainly by The Neilson Company. That company recruits people to keep track of what they watch and when. You get a survey form and fill it out. Sometimes they do give you an electronic "machine" that attaches to your TV and keeps a record of when the TV is on, and what station it is tuned to.

Here's how it works:

http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/

Answer 4

The Nielson Company keeps track of those things in the US.
It's done to the networks can figure out how much to charge for advertising on a given program.

In most other countries, advertising does not interrupt programming and therefore ratings become less of an issue.