Television Ratings
Television Ratings
Ratings are the most dominant decision
making data in commercial television
• For local broadcast stations
• For broadcast networks
• For cable networks
Television Ratings
Television executives need television
ratings to:
• Establish advertising rates
• Make program decisions by methods of
comparison
• Make program decisions by knowing who
is and who is NOT watching
Television Ratings
Nielsen Media Research collects data
through:
• Diaries
• Peoplemeters
Each method has strengths and
weaknesses.
Television Ratings
Ratings measure:
• If the television set is on
• What channel the set is tuned to
• Demographic information about who is
watching
Television Ratings
Ratings don’t measure:
• If the person is watching actively or
passively
• Why the person watched
• The quality of the program
Television Ratings
National Television Index (NTI)
This sample is representative of the population of
the United States.
About 3,100 households (out of 110.2 million HH)
are randomly selected from throughout the U.S.
to participate.
These ratings are compiled daily and weekly and
information is provided to networks and the
media.
Television Ratings
National Station Index (NSI)
Information is provided quarterly to each of
the stations in the United States.
Information is collected through
Peoplemeters in the top 60 markets;
diaries are used in remaining markets.
Television Ratings
Viewers in each of the more than 200
television markets are surveyed aat least
four times a year in four-week periods
called “sweeps.”
Major rating periods are February, May, July
and November.
Television Ratings -- Key Terms
• DMA: designated market area (each
county in the U.S. is assigned to one
television market even though residents
may receive overlapping signals)
• The number of television household in the
DMA determines the market’s size or rank.
Television Ratings -- Key Terms
• HUT -- Households Using Television
This term represents the number or percentage of
television sets in use during a particular time
period.
Time
7 a.m., M-F
Noon, M-F
5 p.m., M-F
7 p.m, M-F
10 p.m., M-F 41
Hut Level
25
20
36
61
HH
52,000
38,000
78,000
191,000
82,000
Television Ratings -- Key Terms
• Rating: the percentage of the total survey
universe watching a specific program or
channel at a particular time
• Share: the percentage of the survey
universe with TV sets on watching a
particular program or channel at a specific
time
Television Ratings
Drawbacks of the Current System
•
•
•
•
•
Information may be inaccurate
Stations/networks/programs can influence regular
viewing habits with stunts, contests, promotions,
news series. Etc.
Little measurement of group viewing
Lack of minority representation
Ratings periods often determine programming
slates
Television Ratings
Other Means of Measurement
• Focus Groups
• Targeted Research
• Coincidentals
Television Ratings
Week of January 23-29:
Primetime Broadcast Ratings:
CBS:
Fox:
ABC:
NBC:
8.7/14
7.6/12
7.0/11
5.4/9
Television Ratings
Season to date:
CBS:
ABC:
NBC:
Fox:
8.4/14
7.1/11
6.0/10
5.5/9
Television Ratings
Top Ten Broadcast Primetime
(week of 1/23-1/29)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
American Idol (Tue.)
American Idol (Wed.)
CSI
Without a Trace
CSI: Miami
Dancing with the Stars
Grey’s Anatomy
Lost
NCSI
Two and a Half Men
21.6
20.0
17.8
16.0
13.9
13.8
13.0
12.3
11.9
11.8
Television Ratings
Top Five Basic Cable Shows
•
•
•
•
•
WWE Raw (9 p.m.)
WWE Raw (10 p.m.)
4.1
Monk
SpongeBob SquarePants
Fairly Odd Parents
3.1
4.1
3.8
3.5