I Was a Nielsen Household

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?).

Article Author: writnkitten

Juliet Farmer is a full-time freelance writer and a regular contributor to several websites and trade publications, as well as a self-proclaimed TV junkie with a penchant for books and movies.

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