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On Why Nielsen Ratings Are Inaccurate, and Why They'll Stay That Way
The Nielsens are not inaccurate just because they don't measure what YOU think they should measure. They measure what they are supposed to measure: who is watching the commercials. The networks are businesses. They mostly just care about making money. Commercials are what they make money from, not the TV shows. The TV shows are only there to entice you to watch the commercials, period. The networks tried their best to block DVR's and VCR's by suing, but they failed. If they had their way, we would all be watching live TV, glued to the programs as well as the commercials. Technology and lifestyle has moved beyond that, and they have no way to fix it. They ARE trying to come up with a new ratings system, but it takes years. Nielsen ratings are all they got. The technology they use and the polling methodology they use is perfectly valid and accurate. Why shouldn't they cancel a show if it is not making them money? Your watching TV on a DVR or on Hulu or iTunes without commercials does not make their sponsors money. Watching on their website does not make them nearly as much money. Perhaps one day they will be gone and we only watch pay-per-view, but for now this is all we got.