Tv ratings & viewers question

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Kimo
Date: July 22, 2008 at 03:32 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Being completely honest I know near nothing as to how this works and am looking for some to shed light.
The rating scores / numbers, how are they formulated? The reason I ask is, does a DVR count as a viewer? Because everything is digital I just wonder if a DVR is recording something does it signal back that it's being viewed, whether or not anyone knows if there is an actual live body watching it right at the very time it's on Tv. :?:
Thank you for any and all information.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Andre3000
Date: July 22, 2008 at 03:36 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Kimo said:
Being completely honest I know near nothing as to how this works and am looking for some to shed light.
The rating scores / numbers, how are they formulated? The reason I ask is, does a DVR count as a viewer? Because everything is digital I just wonder if a DVR is recording something does it signal back that it's being viewed, whether or not anyone knows if there is an actual live body watching it right at the very time it's on Tv. :?:
Thank you for any and all information.
Click to expand...
I believe they figure in DVR views in a separate category. I've read things to the effect of, "Yeah, the overnight ratings didn't look great, but once you factor in the DVR ratings we actually got more viewers than X."
The thing about DVR's is that people can keep the recordings forever before they watch them. I'm pretty sure that it only counts in the ratings if the program is watched within a week of when it was originally broadcasat.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Kimo
Date: July 22, 2008 at 06:53 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Dre, Thank you
Also, DTV has instituted thing now where PPV's have an expiration date on DVR's. fairly new I think.
Again thanks!

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Andre3000
Date: July 22, 2008 at 07:58 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Kimo said:
Also, DTV has instituted thing now where PPV's have an expiration date on DVR's. fairly new I think.
Click to expand...
That's what DVD burners are for!!!

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Showdown
Date: July 22, 2008 at 08:01 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Kimo said:
Being completely honest I know near nothing as to how this works and am looking for some to shed light.
The rating scores / numbers, how are they formulated? The reason I ask is, does a DVR count as a viewer? Because everything is digital I just wonder if a DVR is recording something does it signal back that it's being viewed, whether or not anyone knows if there is an actual live body watching it right at the very time it's on Tv. :?:
Thank you for any and all information.
Click to expand...
Ratings are done by Nielson. They send out rating forms to random households to see what your watching. You write what you watch and send it back and this calculates how many Americans are watching what. Your DVR is not hooked to Nielsons ratings, so if your recording "On Golden Pond" Nielson isnt going to boost their ratings because of it. Its statistics based. They figure if they send out 1 million forms, and 2% of people are watching UFC, than Spike gets a set % ratings. Thats how ratings work.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Andre3000
Date: July 22, 2008 at 08:04 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Showdown said:
Kimo said:
Being completely honest I know near nothing as to how this works and am looking for some to shed light.
The rating scores / numbers, how are they formulated? The reason I ask is, does a DVR count as a viewer? Because everything is digital I just wonder if a DVR is recording something does it signal back that it's being viewed, whether or not anyone knows if there is an actual live body watching it right at the very time it's on Tv. :?:
Thank you for any and all information.
Click to expand...
Ratings are done by Nielson. They send out rating forms to random households to see what your watching. You write what you watch and send it back and this calculates how many Americans are watching what. Your DVR is not hooked to Nielsons ratings, so if your recording "On Golden Pond" Nielson isnt going to boost their ratings because of it. Its statistics based. They figure if they send out 1 million forms, and 2% of people are watching UFC, than Spike gets a set % ratings. Thats how ratings work.
Click to expand...
Doesn't Nielsen hook up electronic boxes to a portion of the population's televisions to register what they view, and then use those figures to project the total numbers? That was my understanding.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Ace23
Date: July 22, 2008 at 08:06 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

For some reason I think the neilson ratings are off.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Andre3000
Date: July 22, 2008 at 08:09 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

AceTruth23 said:
For some reason I think the neilson ratings are off.
Click to expand...
They're not exact. It's an approximation based on collecting info from a sample of the population. My guess is that they're pretty accurate with today's technology and all.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Showdown
Date: July 22, 2008 at 11:22 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Andre3000 said:
Doesn't Nielsen hook up electronic boxes to a portion of the population's televisions to register what they view, and then use those figures to project the total numbers? That was my understanding.
Click to expand...
I dont believe so, if that was the case, if someone was watching infomercials in the morning and left to go to work with it on, the ratings for that informercial would be through the roof, even though no one was there watching it. I have only known 1 person to get a ratings review by Nielson. They had to fill in every show they watched at every time,along with every time they switched the channel and left the room,etc. I think Nielson sends out millions of these and gets them back and uses the % to see what ratings are. If they send out 10 million, and 2 million come back with everyone watching the Friends finale, they knew that Friends had a 20point share,etc...

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Brick
Date: July 23, 2008 at 09:34 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Showdown said:
Andre3000 said:
Doesn't Nielsen hook up electronic boxes to a portion of the population's televisions to register what they view, and then use those figures to project the total numbers? That was my understanding.
Click to expand...
I dont believe so, if that was the case, if someone was watching infomercials in the morning and left to go to work with it on, the ratings for that informercial would be through the roof, even though no one was there watching it. I have only known 1 person to get a ratings review by Nielson. They had to fill in every show they watched at every time,along with every time they switched the channel and left the room,etc. I think Nielson sends out millions of these and gets them back and uses the % to see what ratings are. If they send out 10 million, and 2 million come back with everyone watching the Friends finale, they knew that Friends had a 20point share,etc...
Click to expand...
Actually, I think they do both. There are a certain number of people (a surprisingly small number like 5000 if I remember what I read a while back) that have the boxes hooked up to their TVs. I'm sure they are coached on how to make sure the ratings are accurate, such as do not leave your TV running all day/night if you are not watching it. They also send out a bunch of surveys to different people and ask them to record by hand their viewing habits for a week or month or something. So the "Nielson Families" with the boxes are somewhat permanent and long term, but they supplement it with the surveys to a wider and varying demographic.
Our family filled out the surveys once when I was a kid, which is why all this info seems to be stuck in my brain.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Seawall
Date: July 23, 2008 at 09:46 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Brick said:
Our family filled out the surveys once when I was a kid, which is why all this info seems to be stuck in my brain.
Click to expand...
Holy Crap! I remember that now. Thanks for the info that is now stuck in my brain also. Lol

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: mma_fan
Date: July 23, 2008 at 09:54 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

I also filled out one of the surveys as a kid. I think they paid each of us $2 to do one hahaha

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Kimo
Date: July 23, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/tv-ratings-viewers-question.3698/

Thanks to everyone, I have a better understanding of how it works.