TV by the Numbers - Latest Comments in Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:40:58 -0000

Mike, obviously you've never ever met anyone under 35 involved in television ad sales.

Voting doesn't give you all the demographic info (how old you are, how much money you make, where you live, etc). People with DVRs represent less than 25% of the HH, so it would be less scientific than Nielsen.

For now, Nielsen is a joke that pulls in (as a whole, not just the tv ratings) over $4 billion in annual revenue. While I'd agree the system isn't perfect, it does not appear the joke is on them.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Mike — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:36:55 -0000

Nielsen ratings are a joke. No one under 35 I've ever met puts the slightest bit of credence in them.

Have people vote for their favorite shows the way they vote on American Idol, OR actually survey 1,000,000 viewers one week based on what their cable/sat box is tuned to (inc DVRing) and it'll prove what a crock this system is.

I see Nielen's as a survey of what's tuned in on the 19" ceiling-mounted TVs in your average assisted living community.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Daniel C. — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:40:46 -0000

I just want to toss one big glance askew at NBC. The former undisputed kings of Thursday have fallen down to 4 repeats of a show regularly seen on TBS already? Did they really surrender that easily?

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:17:49 -0000

Being the most downloaded show on BitTorrent...decidedly NOT a profitable business. :-)

While I agree that crime shows skew older (and everything else skews older) if CSI got a 5.8 in the 18-49, it also did at least OK in the 18-34. Some shows, like American Idol, and to a lesser degree CSI perform well in ALL categories.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Denise — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:28:28 -0000

If I owned a network, I'd meet with some of the producers who's shows got cancelled without a definative ending and give them one hour of airing to close out the show properly. Sure this makes no financial sense, but neither would having me run the network.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

dearme — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:22:03 -0000

I agree with Marissa so much with everything she said and I can't describe how much I hate procedural shows.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Tsuko — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:18:18 -0000

I do wonder if they take ITune and Bitorrent into account when they take ratings. I know I download a lot of stuff rather than watch it firsthand. In fact, I missed Eli Stone last night and ended up downloading and watching it this morning at 3 am.

And you're right, it is a generational difference. An older audience probably isn't tech-savy enough to download shows.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Tsuko — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:59:10 -0000

I know it isn't looking good, but I hope they renew Eli Stone. I love the relationships they've set up between the characters and the casting is pure genius.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Marissa — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:50:40 -0000

Its funny that everyone thinks Samantha Who is a huge success but if Miss Guided got the same airing at 9:30PM after Dancing with Stars I guarantee they would get the same ratings. Miss Guided only aired once after DWTS and it was at 10PM for a show that clearly should not air at that time.

And there is a reason that OVER 50% of Samantha who ratins dropped after it didnt have the lead in.

Crime shows are popular with the OLDER AUDIENCES..who actually watch tv live. Personally, hate procedural shows...I like to look for some continued connection through the shows I watch...Like the storylines will actually lead somewhere...

The younger generation never going to watch tv live anymore...than lets see if CBS still ahead in 20 years with crime shows.

Also BSG is another one of those GREAT WONDERFUL AMAZING EXCELLED AWARD WINNING CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED shows that have a HUGE audience that doesn't watch live because
1) they don't have scifi
2) They don't want to watch the show at friday at 10 Pm
There is a reason that BSG used to be one of the top downloaded shows on itunes and the MOST DOWNLOADED SHOW ON BIT TORRENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

dearme — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:30:53 -0000

I dont find Samantha annoying at all. But it breaks my heart to see a show with this huge potential all bcoz of its catchy concept, being one dimensional. If I was producing the show, I would have added a lot to it, Soap-esque mystery element as she was the victim of hit and run, Seinfeld-esque humour which would be used when she learns the littlest everyday things in life and a lot more.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:29:39 -0000

@dearme -- i created a post just for you. You guys, please post your favorite shows/net schedules here:

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2...

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

dearme — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:23:35 -0000

Yes u can Julia

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:13:43 -0000

@Dearme, I'll work up a schedule at some point for you, but for the inner-network executive in you I have to say this: that is no way to run a network! ;-)

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

dearme — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:07:34 -0000

on the basis of what you like and watch

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:03:09 -0000

dearme, are you asking based on what shows I watch or with the goal of making as much money as possible. If its the latter, and not the former it would look a lot like this whole list.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Bob Karp — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:01:42 -0000

Interesting that Survivor continues to, well survive after 8 years and 16 seasons. It definitely has aged both in demographics and audience, but most other series (other than CSI and L&O) at eight years have done far worse. I think if Fox wanted to knock off Survivor all they need to do is move the AI results to Thursday @ 8:00 as we shall see next week.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

dearme — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:59:44 -0000

Hey all, if u people had ur tv network then which current shows would u air? tell me ur ideal schedule, pls! robert and bill u 2

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Guess Who — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:29:54 -0000

Robert! LOL! I meant to say Robert.

Several of the guys in my department at work -men with no kids - are huge Spongebob groupies with cubicles full of Spongebob stuff in the walls.

Heres a good article on this rather weird phenomenon when the SB movie came out.

http://spiritcentrestage.bl...

"Adults can still be kids; Men can still be boys

There's no point arguing about which demographic SpongeBob is aimed at: there were as many adults in the theatre killing themselves as there were kids. (I was one of them.) What has interested me is why Bob carries such appeal in the first place, especially for adults, both men and women. I mean, I haven't seen nearly as many Rugrats or Kimpossible T-shirts in size XXL. "

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:22:09 -0000

@Julia, I think ABC always knew with this one. There is a way to kind of scam the Nielsen numbers. Not on a weekly basis, but on a season total/average basis. You can declare a show a "special" airing and it won't count in the season averages. One example is Grey's Anatomy on Thanksgiving night. Another is every single episode of Miss Guided that ever aired!

ABC seemed to peg it wouldn't do well in advance and didn't want it dragging its season averages down.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Outlander — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:19:06 -0000

It amazes me how far Scifi's ratings have fallen. I've watched their Friday night programs (on DVR) for a few years, and followed their ratings. Two years ago, Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis regularly pulled in 1.8-2.2 ratings, and Scifi would yank any show (e.g. Andromeda) that couldn't get at least a 1.5. Fastforward to the present, and they trumpet Stargate Atlantis getting 1.1 and 1.2 ratings and eagerly anticipate the triumphant return of BSG, which as I recall only got 1.3-1.4 ratings for most of Season 3.

I can't say I'm a fan of BSG anymore. I didn't like New Caprica and I didn't like how the show morphed into a giant allegory for "Bush lied, people died" -- a view the show's producers later semi-copped to in an interview with some bloggers. It's a shame the producers chose to take it in that direction.

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Jack — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:08:29 -0000

Galactica is back! Finally!

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:04:11 -0000

yeah. though I probably should of mentioned that the "season" finale of Miss Guided would likely be last.episode.ever

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Robert Seidman — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:02:31 -0000

my pants aren't square, I'm a Robert, not a Bob. I'm not sure it's a sad commentary or not, just sure that a lot of parents are regularly watching Bob with their children.

It's also not an apples-to-apples comparison. BSG is a primetime show, but the cable info we get is the top performing shows regardless of when they aired (and last week on that basis I believe Bob took 12 out of the top 20 shows).

Re: Nielsen Ratings Thur, April 3: CBS Wins Big with CSI

Guess Who — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:58:01 -0000

Bob sez: "While I’m hoping BSG will perform well enough to make the weekly cable top 40, I’m guessing that it won’t and that either way it will be beaten out by about 18-20 airings of SpongeBob."

Thats a rather sad commentary on the viewing public. Spongebob reruns beats BSG? Spongebob is turning viewers brains into sponges for bad TV.