Nielsen Has Been Getting TV Ratings Wrong for Months

[DramatistDreamer]

Apparently the technical flaw has been benefitting ABC, to the detriment of other networks:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/10/nielsen-technical-error-faulty-ratings-data_n_5966416.html

[SeanM]

I take it, it only concerns the over night ratings?!

[YRBB]

You mean to tell me it wasn't 14 million people who tuned in to see Viola getting eaten?

[Marco Dane]

Didnt help ABC Daytime

[~bl~]

This is from Deadline with more information what happened with ABC. http://deadline.com/2014/10/abc-ratings-premiere-week-nielsen-glitch-primetime-gma-world-news-kimmel-849788/

This is the prime time info- the article also goes into detail about late night, the nightly news and late night talk. "In the revised ratings, only 5 ABC series received upward adjustments — .1 for all — the usual suspects Modern Family (3.8),Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2.0), Once Upon a Time (3.5), Grey’s Anatomy (3.1) and The Goldbergs (2.4). What’s more, two series, Nashville (1.4) and Revenge(1.3), were adjusted down a tenth, the first time an ABC series has received a downward adjustment this fall."

So yes HTGAWM didn't have as high as a rating as original thought for Live Plus Same Day...

[applcin]

I've always wondered over the years just how many people Neilsen counts. I have never been, nor have I ever known anyone who was, a participant in their system. To me, it's like when the newspapers or tv news take polls of 1,000 people and proclaim "the majority of Americans" think this or that.

Seriously, with today's technology and big brother monitoring, there has to be a more accurate measurement.

[DramatistDreamer]

Actually, I do know someone who is a Nielsen "family" and I've seen the box as well. One of the reasons, no one really knows is that each individual or groups are asked not to tell anyone that they do the Nielsen's.

I do agree though, it seems strange that such a relatively small community has such outsize influence on ratings and ad dollars.

Ironically, I was approached to be a digital Nielsen (online) participant but I declined because it sort of freaked me out to have to install software onto my computer that someone could tabulate (and possibly monitor) page clicks. I know that with the TV top box, you need to turn it on but there is this paranoia I have that once installed inside my computer, I could actually have been handing control over to someone or something operating from remote. Also, they weren't offering nearly enough compensation to make it even worth my while.

[allmc2008]

I understand, actually. The thought of ones security/privacy being invated is scary as hell.

[Max]

These are legitimate concerns, but I'm sure that if the statistical sampling that Neilsen does is way off, the television networks would have stopped using that service by now.

[Cheap21]

IA with this. I don't see why there isn't a way for more automatic and accurate data retrieval. It seems like the time for an overhaul would have been when the nation moved to digital signals last decade

[All My Shadows]

I feel like Hulu/Netflix hits are more reliable than Nielsen's system, to be honest. We were a Nielsen family twice when I was a kid, and both times, I was literally the ONLY person in my family of 4 who actually wrote down everything I watched. My parents and older brother literally did not care at all, but they're all avid TV junkies like myself, so...yeah. I still think about those lost Nielsen points for Lifetime's Any Day Now and that local New Orleans rap news show Phat Phat 'n All That.

[DramatistDreamer]

I agree but isn't it ironic that neither publicly releases their ratings numbers? Wall street seems to get really pissed about this (lol). Netflix is subscriber based, so if the subscribers and the producers of the shows don't care, why the hell should anyone else?

Hulu, the free version does rely on Ads but I'm thinking that everyone knows they do healthy numbers anyway and the ads keep rolling in.

[DramatistDreamer]

Well, it appears that at least one ABC show's ratings was noticeably affected by the Nielsen's glitch. Are there others?

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/10/14/nielsen-strips-abcs-world-news-tonight-of-primetime-crown-after-ratings-error/20978142/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl15|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D545699