The most important thing when it comes to TV ratings is the audience. A bigger audience will mean more commercials. But, viewers are not an indicator of the show's quality. It is important to take into account many other factors when judging television programs, such as its genre and rating, as well the quality of presentation.
Nielsen is a prominent provider of statistical sampling and television audience measurement. Nielsen monitors television viewing habits via panels of panelists. These include households. This information is shared with television networks and advertisers. They can, for example, determine the best time to air a new series. They can also measure how often a particular show is watched, and how long it is watched for.
Nielsen estimates are based on statistical sampling. This means that it doesn't attempt to estimate the number viewers on every cable or digital antenna in the nation. Instead, it makes use of a representative sample, usually a group of 20,000 households. It may conduct special tests to verify its accuracy.
While viewers are the best way to launch a television program, it is not as important as the number spent on advertising. Because a network can recoup their investment in programming with a higher rating, it is more likely to succeed. A higher rating also means more ad revenues. You can get your foot in to the door by producing a show with a decent rating.
The Big Bang Theory is an example of a show with a high rating. Although it is a sitcom, it makes a lot of money for its production company, TBS. Other successful shows include ABC's The Office, Fox's Felicity, and UPN's Smackdown.
The NCAA gymnastics championships are another notable example. They have reached a new viewing height. This is a remarkable feat. However, NBC's Sunday game are among the top three prime time shows for women 18-34. NBC's six-game streak last season saw fewer than 1 million viewers, despite hockey and basketball being so popular.
Television is a very popular medium for entertainment. For instance, there are 121 million homes with TVs in the U.S. Nielsen states that approximately 60% of broadcast viewers are female. Their purchasing power accounts for over half of all consumer purchase. Networks are always looking for shows to boost their ratings.
The competition for viewers is fierce, just like in any other industry. Unfortunately, there are some shows that have misled their audiences. The Wild-Blues was one of these shows, with its ratings jumping from 0.43 - 0.41. ABC's Hockey Saturday on the other hand has seen record numbers. This show has been in existence for seven consecutive seasons.