Television is Definitely Overrated

By Jessica Caswell

Have you ever wondered how your favorite television show gets rated the number one show in the country? There are thousands of programs out there, but why is that one program considered to be the best? You may not know it but, television companies are trying very hard to get you to be faithful to that special show you just can’t stop talking about. This November, television stations will duke it out during one of the most important months in television, sweeps month, to get that coveted number one spot.

Nielsen Media Research is the company responsible with the task of deciphering through all the data of the television world and crowning the winners. It measures ratings on a daily basis but, sweeps is the most important time for television stations. Basically, the more people who watch a show during sweeps, the more the television stations can charge an advertiser to run a commercial.

Television 101

First, to understand how the programs get rated number one, you have to understand what is getting rated. The three main types of television are cable, broadcast and syndication.

Broadcast television is the main channels and what I like to call the heart of television. It’s the big networks like CBS, ABC, and NBC. Also, you can usually get them at no cost by putting an antenna on top of your television. However, in February 2009 it’s going to change because all networks are switching to digital.

Cable television shows are provided by a cable company like Comcast, and customers pay a fee to get a package of channels. With cable programming, you can get the basic, which provides standard channels like CNN and Disney. But if you choose to pay more money, then you can get the premium channels like HBO and Encore.

Syndicated television is the sale of the right to broadcast television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. Basically, it includes programs like “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Judge Judy.” The shows are not dedicated to one single broadcast network.

Inside the Rating System

OK, now that you've learned the different kinds of television, lets talk about how Nielsen actually works its magic. No, it doesn’t have magical powers and dancing fairies in your living room to suddenly make “Grey’s Anatomy” number one. It takes a lot of hard work and data analysis for the company.

According to Nielsen’s website, the company’s electronic metering technology is the heart of the rating process. It has two different kinds of meters. One is a set meter that lets the company know the channels that are being viewed and the other is a people meter that helps the company to monitor the demographics watching.

The company also measures some markets by diaries that are mailed to viewers. The viewer logs the shows he or she is watching and then sends it back to Nielsen to analyze. This is only in smaller markets like Honolulu, Hawaii.

Breaking Down the Ratings

The ratings are also separated into time slots. Ratings are measured at all times of the day but, the prime time hour slots, which are from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., are usually the most important for television stations.

Other types of ratings data released by Nielsen are the top broadcast television networks, the top shows in the age 18-49 demographic and top syndicated shows.

All of this information may appear like a lot but, it really is quite simpler than it seems. Just think of it as a mass survey. The object is to see what shows are being watched the most and who is watching it. This is how advertisers know when to run that Ford truck commercial during the “Monday Night Football” game and the Neutrogena skin commercial during “Ugly Betty.” At the end of the day, it’s all about what you, the viewer, want to see.



On a final note, here's the shows that were big this week in television. These are the national ratings released by Nielsen for Thursday, Sept. 11 according to www.zap2it.com.

8 p.m.
1- CBS “Big Brother 10”
2- NBC “America’s Got Talent” and “My Name is Earl”
3- FOX “Hole in the Wall” time period premier

9 p.m.
1- CBS “CSI”
2- ABC “Grey’s Anatomy” rerun
3- FOX “Kitchen Nightmares”

10 p.m.
1- CBS “Flashpoint”
2- ABC “Private Practice”
3- NBC “The Office” and “30 Rock” reruns