How do TV channels know if a show is popular or how many watched an episode or how many people watched a game/match? How do they know if they should continue with a show or not?
2007-01-31 02:32:54 · 4 answers · asked by Saba S 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Television
Actually, I was called by them within the past month. They want me to record what shows I watch for one week in February and mail them the journal. In return, they're paying me $30.
2007-01-31 05:19:52 · answer #1 · answered by Erin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I once heard that there are several hundred randomly selected individual homes around the country that have been selected to have a black box attached to their TV, and the data is collected automatically. Having said that, about three years ago, my household was selected by Nielsen for a one month process where we were given a paper form to log what we watched. We dutifully recorded each time we turned on the tv and watched anything for a month, then mailed the form back to the company. Got a bit dicey. Hate to admit some of the lousy television we watched during that time. The form did not have a place to record what we thought of the program, but I suspect most of our comments would have been negative. The problem with ratings is that they tell what was watched, but offer no insight into the quality of the programming. Sometimes we watch Southpark because it is the best of a bad lot...
2007-01-31 02:47:25 · answer #2 · answered by jpturboprop 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nielson selects families (aka Neilson families) and they get a box that records which shows the family watches. Each family member gets a code so Neilson knows who is watching what. Ie. the child watches Sesame Street and not Cnn.
Not very accurate because just since the show is on, it doesn't mean anyone is watching it. But it's the best thing they have so far.
2007-01-31 02:42:40 · answer #3 · answered by jeffro#1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_Ratings
2007-01-31 02:42:37 · answer #4 · answered by blt_4 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋