How do networks know how many viewers are tuning in to watch their programming?

Question

Just curious as to how major networks measure how many viewers are tuning in to watch their various shows/programming. Thanks!

Answer 1

Albotros is on the right path but here are some additional details.

Nielsen surveys a sample group in each city. They make sure the sample size (though often very very small) is an exact replica of the cities age, sex, race, working/unemployeed, etc. If 10% are hispanic men between the ages of 18-24, then 10% of their sample size will be sent to hispanic men 18-24. Since the samle is an exact mock up of the city, they then assume that everyone in the city watches the same way and just multiply it out. (ie if the city is one million people and has 10% men18-24, or 100,000. They may send out the survey to 100 of them. Of the 100, 10 watched show X - or 10%. They then take that 10% and assume the 100,000 men 18-24, 10,000 of them watched that show because their survey said 10%.

The way the survey is done is dependant on the city. A small city is done by "dairies". They ask the sample group to write down what they watch. This is done four months out of the year (Feb, May, July, Nov) and this is why you networks have Sweeps where all the shows are great and nothing is in rerun during these months - except July. The diary system is not very accurate because people often dont take the time to fill it out and when they do it is usually at the end of the week and they are trying to remember what they watched.

In medium cities they have "Meters". This is a device hooked up to your tv that records what you watch. This is more accurate than "diaries" but still cannot tell who in the home watched (the wife, the husband, a friend that was over). They use the meters for daily viewing records but still use diaries during sweeps to determine who was watching.

The major cities (NY, Chicago, LA, Boston, Dallas, etc) use "People Meters". These are devices put in the home that not only record what is being watched but who it was watching it. More cities are rolling out with this each month. Because the networks own many of the tv stations in major citites it effects them the most. This is why you are seeing more programming than ever before, mid season replacemnets, reality shows during the summer, etc. As more and more cities get these, the era of Sweeps will be over as measurements are taken daily.

Peopbably more info than you wanted. Sorry for the lecture but I hope you found it informative.

Answer 2

Supposedly certain people agree to have chips installed in their TV's (and car radios) and those chips send out information regarding which channels are watched/listened to, and general numbers are assumed based on those chips.

However, I am pretty sure that every TV and radio comes with a chip. Otherwise they would not be able to say "2.8 million viewers" etc. I have an advanced degree in advertising and we still never got a straight answer about this from any of our professors.

Answer 3

How would anyone know that 24 million watched if less than a million Nielsen boxes are out there. This is a bunch of BS!!

Answer 4

They do telephone surveys and also have selected families complete a log of their viewing habits for an entire month. From that they can extrapolate to the wider viewing audience.

Answer 5

It called the nielsen rating. Randomely selected people from different demographics have a device set up to their tv which will send information on what kind of programming is being watched.

Answer 6

unsure approximately now, yet in the 70s & 80s those households have been given a particular container linked to the television that stored music of what they watched. at present, they could probable use cable television information instead.

Answer 7

Just like a phone company knows who you called. Not sure how it works out but someone figures out that crap.