Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of good shows tank due to poor ratings, including Sports Night, Wonderfalls, Freaks and Geeks, and Undeclared. And one day about two years ago, I thought all that would change, because my household was randomly chosen to be part of the "Nielsen family".
For anyone who either lives under a rock or just doesn’t understand the whole TV ratings thing, let me explain: Nielsen Media Research measures television audiences in the U.S. (they even have an international branch that provides measurement data in more than 40 countries).
For me, it all started innocently enough with a simple phone call in which I was asked if I was watching TV (in my defense, it may very well have been 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, but I was taking a break from “work”) and I answered in the affirmative. The woman on the phone told me she was from Nielsen and that someone might be in contact with me in the near future, and that was that.
About a week later, a guy from Nielsen showed up on my doorstep. I told him they had hit the jackpot, since my TV is on practically all day long, and I watch a bazillion prime time shows.
From there, various pieces of Nielsen paraphernalia were installed. At first, the gadgets were, as promised, unobtrusive. And I set about watching all sorts of shows in the hopes that I would finally make an impact, and maybe save some good shows in the process.
During my Nielsen days, many good shows (and quite a few not-so-good ones) I was watching were canceled, including Blind Justice, Eyes, Life As We Know It, Reunion, Related, Just Legal, Head Cases, Killer Instinct, Free Ride, The Loop, Conviction, and Four Kings (I told you not all of them were good, didn't I?).
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Article comments
1 - Lisa McKay
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States.
2 - Kathy
Hi. I just read your horror story. I'm so glad I didn't agree to become a Nielsen Family. You may be interested to read my posts about how hard it was to say no to them. It is having an experience like yours that made me afraid to sign up with them.
Be sure to read to the end of the article. There is an UPDATE link at the bottom:
3 - fossey
[personal attack deleted] do you think that because your presidential choice didn't win that your vote didn't count, or that democracy's dead? shows will stay on if a lot of people watch them. that means a lot of people like you.
4 - TVMaven
You really didn't understand what the ratings are all about. Your ONE house would not effect the ratings to keep a show on the air. It is a cumulative ratings sample based on thousands of homes.