Nielsen Ratings

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When Television viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention "ratings" they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. Nielsen Ratings are offered in over forty countries.

The system has been updated and modified extensively since it was developed in the early 1940s by Arthur Nielsen, and has since been the primary source of audience measurement information in the television industry around the world. Since television as a business makes money by selling audiences to advertisers, the Nielsen Television Ratings are the single most important element in determining advertising rates, schedules, and program content.

The company is part of the Nielsen Company, formerly known as VNU and owned by a consortium of private equity firms including Blackstone Group, KKR and Carlyle Group. Its production operations are located in its Brooker Creek Global Technology and Information Center in Oldsmar, Florida.

Measuring ratings Nielsen Television Ratings are gathered by one of two ways; by extensive use of surveys, where viewers of various demographics are asked to keep a written record (called a diary) of the television programming they watch throughout the day and evening, or by the use of Set Meters, which are small devices connected to every television in selected homes. These devices gather the viewing Habit (psychology) of the home and transmit the information nightly to Nielsen through a "Home Unit" connected to a phone line. Set Meter information allows market researchers to study television viewing habits on a minute to minute basis, seeing the exact moment viewers change channels or turn off their TV. In addition to this technology, the implementation of individual viewer reporting devices (called People meters) allow the company to separate household viewing information into various demographic groups. In 2005, Nielsen began measuring the usage of digital video recordings (TiVo, for example) and initial results indicate that time-shifted viewing will have a significant impact on television ratings. The networks are not yet figuring these new results into their ad rates at the resistance of advertisers.{{cite news|first = Gary |last = Levin |title = Playback time for Nielsens |publisher = USA Today |page = 1D |date = 2006-10-12 |accessdate = 2006-10-21 -->

Ratings / share and total viewers Nielsen Television Ratings are reported by ranking the percentage for each show of all viewers watching television at a given time.As of August 27, 2007, there are an estimated 112.8 million television households in the USA. A single national ratings point represents 1%, or 1,128,000 households for the 2006-07 season. Share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to a specific program. These numbers are usually reported as (ratings points/share). For example, Nielsen may report a show as receiving a 9.2/15 during its broadcast, meaning 9.2%, or 10,377,600 households on average were tuned in at any given moment. Additionally, 15% of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into this program. Nielsen re-estimates the number of households each August for the upcoming television season.

Nielsen Media Research also provides statistics on estimated total number of viewers, and on specific demographics. Advertising rates are influenced not only by the total number of viewers, but also by particular demographics, such as age, sex, economic class, and area. Younger viewers are considered more attractive for many products, whereas in some cases older and wealthier audiences are desired, or female audiences are desired over males. Television ratings are not an exact science, but they are a powerful force in determining the programming in an industry where millions of dollars are at stake every day.

Because ratings are based on samples, it is possible for shows to get 0.0 rating, despite having an audience; CNBC talk show McEnroe was one notable example.{{cite web | last = de Moraes | first = Lisa | title = Where's the Love? CNBC Scrambles to Woo Viewers for 'McEnroe' | url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61516-2004Aug12.html | date = [2004-08-13 | accessdate = 2007-06-08 -->

Commercial ratings Nielsen provides viewership data calculated as the average viewership for only the commercial time within the program. This “Commercial Ratings” first became available on May 31, 2007. Additionally, Nielsen provides different “streams” of this data in order to take into consideration delayed viewing (DVR) data. Nielsen’s clients now have access to all the data they need to develop individualized minute-by-minute ratings of national commercials by demographic group for all national television programs, including DVCPRO playback at any interval up to seven days.{{cite web | last = Holmes | first = Gary | title = Nielsen Announces Schedule And Plan For Commercial-Minute Ratings | url= http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.55dc65b4a7d5adff3f65936147a062a0/?allRmCB=on&newSearch=yes&vgnextoid=264b66f7e2c20110VgnVCM100000ac0a260aRCRD&searchBox=media | date = [2006-01-16 | accessdate = 2007-07-02 -->

=== "Sweeps" ===

Much of the ratings system, however, still consists of the completion by viewers of ratings diaries, in which a viewer records his or her viewing habits, generally for a week, in exchange for being advanced a nominal amount ($5 in the United States.) These diaries play an especially important role during the four sweeps periods conducted in February, May, July and November in an attempt to measure smaller local market audiences in markets that are not covered by People Meter samples already. (Other, smaller sweeps are conducted through the year in the markets large enough to be measured by non-demographic meters, but not large enough to be measured by the demographic meters (people meters.)

The term "sweeps" has two meanings. One refers to how the diaries were handled by Nielsen Media when the ratings were first produced: They are mailed to the households and processed by starting on the East Coast of the United States and "sweeping" across the nation. The other refers to television programming during the months of November, July, and/or May, in which eagerly anticipated programs are deliberately scheduled in order to boost television ratings.

Television networks and other programmers make unusual efforts to attract additional viewers during these periods, including broadcasting mostly original programming as opposed to repeats, showing more special broadcasts, and including special content in programming such as guest stars, controversial and unexpected plots or topics, extended episodes, finales, and increased competition in advertising. Even news programs are often involved, broadcasting especially controversial or titillating investigative reports and promotions. For this reason, the "sweeps" system of national ratings has been criticized as not representative of typical programming, and encouraging an increase in content of concern such as violence and explicit sexuality. Outside of these peak periods it is more common to see reruns of television programs.Nielsen 2007 Sweeps Dates:{] - 23 May, 2007] - 1 August, 2007] - 28 November, 2007|}

Criticism of ratings systems There is some public critique regarding accuracy and potential bias within Nielsen's rating system. In June of 2006, however, Nielsen announced a sweeping plan to revamp its entire methodology to include all types of media viewing in its sample.

Since viewers are aware of being part of the Nielsen sample, it can lead to bias in recording and viewing habits. This criticism is common to any and all survey research. Audience counts gathered by the self-reporting diary methodology are sometimes higher than those gathered by the electronic meters, which provide less opportunity for response bias. This trend seems to be more common for news programming and popular prime time programming. Also, daytime viewing and late night viewing tend to be under-reported by the diary

Another criticism of the measuring system itself is that it fails the most important criteria of a sample: it is not random in the statistical sense of the word. Only a small fraction of the population is selected and only those that actually accept are used as the sample size. Compounding matters is the fact that of the sample data that is collected advertisers will not pay for time shifted (recorded for replay at a different time) programs {{cite news|first = Gary |last = Levin |title = Networks' top shows at a rating loss |publisher = USA Today |page = 1D |date = 2007-04-25 |accessdate = 2007-04-25 --> rendering the 'raw' numbers useless. In many local areas, the difference between a rating that keeps a show on the air and one that will cancel it is so small as to be statistically insignificant, and yet the show that just happens to get the higher rating will survive.

In 2004, News Corporation retained the services of public relations firm Glover Park (business) to launch a campaign aimed at delaying Nielsen's plan to replace its aging household electronic data collection methodology in larger local markets with its newer and more accurate electronic People Meter system. The advocates in the public relations campaign charged that data derived from the newer People Meter system represented a bias toward underreporting minority viewing, which could lead to a de-facto discrimination in employment against minority actors and writers. Nielsen countered the campaign by revealing its sample composition counts. According to Nielsen Media Research's sample composition counts, As of 2004, nationwide, African American Households using People Meters represented 6.7% of the Nielsen sample, compared to 6.0% in the general population. Latino Households represent 5.7% of the Nielsen sample, compared to 5.0% in the general population. This showed that ethnic minorities were actually overrepresented in the sample, contrary to what was charged in the News Corporation's public relations campaign.

Another criticism of the Nielsen ratings system is its lack of a system for measuring television audiences in environments outside the home, such as college dormitories (to which Nielsen has started a program in 2005), transport terminals, bars, and other public places where television is frequently viewed, often by large numbers of people in a common setting. Recently, however, Nielsen has announced plans to incorporate viewing by away-from-home college students into its sample. Current measurement devices offered by all media measurement companies in these scenarios are challenged in determining whether an audience member was just in general proximity to a television signal, or whether they were actually paying attention to the programming. Internet TV viewing is another rapidly growing market for which Nielsen Ratings fail to account for viewer impact. Apple iTunes, atomfilms, YouTube, and some of the networks' own websites (eg: ABC.com, CBS.com) provide full-length web-based programming, either subscription-based or ad-supported.

Furthermore, a new problem has developed, especially with the February sweeps. For the 2001-2002 season, the National Football League moved Super Bowl XXXVI to February, when it was placed in the sweeps period, because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which postponed the NFL schedule a week. Because of that, starting with the 2003-04 season, the NFL moved the Super Bowl into the sweeps period.

Since the move of the Super Bowl into the sweeps period, Sunday nights in the sweeps period in February is almost guaranteed to be a winner for the network holding the big event on each of the four Sundays -- the Super Bowl (alternates among NBC, CBS, Fox), Grammy Awards (moved back in 2007 to Sunday night, CBS), Daytona 500 (finish moved into prime-time in 2007; some believe that in the future, most of the race will take place in prime-time, Fox), or Academy Awards (moved into the sweeps period in 2005, ABC), and every fourth year the Winter Olympics (next telecast 2010, NBC).

With the conclusion of the 2001 Major League baseball season pushed back a week (since a full week of games was postponed following the September 11th attacks and were made-up), the final three games of the 2001 World Series were pushed back into the November, 2001 sweeps. If the 2007 World Series goes the full seven games, the deciding contest would be played on Thursday evening, November 1st, the first night of the sweeps. Some believe that Major League Baseball could eventually push most or all of the World Series into the November sweeps, further concentrating "big event" television into sweeps periods.

Annual top-rated shows Nielsen began compiling ratings for television nationally beginning in 1950. Prior to that year, television ratings were compiled by a number of other sources, including C. E. Hooper and Variety (magazine). Today, Hooper is barely remembered; the company was bought out by Nielsen in February 1950.

These are the programs that finished with the highest average Nielsen rating in each television season:

{]| Texaco Star Theater]|-| 1952 in television| Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]|-| 1953 in television| I Love Lucy]| I Love Lucy| CBS|-| 1955 in television| I Love Lucy| CBS|-| 1956 in television| The $64,000 Question]| I Love Lucy| CBS|-| 1958 in television| Gunsmoke]| Gunsmoke| CBS|-| 1960 in television| Gunsmoke| CBS|-| 1961 in television| Gunsmoke| CBS|-| 1962 in television| Wagon Train]| The Beverly Hillbillies]| The Beverly Hillbillies| CBS|-| 1965 in television| Bonanza]| Bonanza| NBC|-| 1967 in television| Bonanza| NBC|-| 1968 in television| The Andy Griffith Show]| Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In]| Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In| NBC|-| 1971 in television| Marcus Welby, M.D.]|-| 1972 in television| All in the Family]| All in the Family| CBS|-| 1974 in television| All in the Family| CBS|-| 1975 in television| All in the Family| CBS|-| 1976 in television| All in the Family| CBS|-| 1977 in television| Happy Days]| Laverne & Shirley]| Three's Company]| 60 Minutes]| Dallas (TV series)| CBS|-| 1982 in television| Dallas| CBS|-| 1983 in television| 60 Minutes| CBS|-| 1984 in television| Dallas| CBS|-| 1985 in television| Dynasty (TV series)| ABC|-| 1986 in television| The Cosby Show]| The Cosby Show| NBC|-| 1988 in television| The Cosby Show| NBC|-| 1989 in television| The Cosby Show| NBC|-| 1990 in television| The Cosby Show & Roseanne (TV series)| NBC & ABC|-| 1991 in television| Cheers]| 60 Minutes| CBS|-| 1993 in television| 60 Minutes| CBS|-| 1994 in television| Home Improvement]| Seinfeld]| ER (TV series)| NBC|-| 1997 in television| ER| NBC|-| 1998 in television| Seinfeld]| ER| NBC|-| 2000 in television| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)| ABC|-| 2001 in television| Survivor: The Australian Outback]| Friends]| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation| CBS|-| 2005 in television| American Idol]| American Idol]| American Idol| Fox|}

See also

List of most-watched television episodes
List of television stations in North America by media market
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board

External links

Nielsen Media Research website

Nielsen Media: FAQs - About the "Sweeps"

Slate.com: How Does Sweeps Week Work? (February 16, 2004)
Nielsen Global Technology and Information Center website
Nielsen Media Research: Everyone Counts
Information on Nielsen's Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement Initiative.

References * Anthony Bianco and Ronald Grover. " How Nielsen Stood Up to Murdoch" BusinessWeek. September 20, 2004.

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