Nielsens are tallying dismal ratings for top TV shows in the past few weeks. All major networks have hit record lows, such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, ER, My Name is Earl, The Simpsons, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami, and Heroes.
And others, like 24, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and American Idol, had their worst ratings in two years or more.
No one can pinpoint the reason. However, TV executives and advertisers have their theories. Here are some of them:
–Daylight. The early switch of Daylight Savings Time, some say, moved viewers outdoors. At the same time, all networks aired repeats that entire month.
–Long breaks. They say dramas don’t repeat well, and long layoffs hurt the shows. People lose interest by the time they return. Some examples, Lost and Jericho.
–New devices. More viewers aren’t watching the shows live anymore thanks to the invention of the DVR. Last year, only 5 percent of homes in Nielsen’s sample had the recording devices, but now nearly 16 percent own one.
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April 28th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
I think as the Dish and better cable systems (which aren’t listed here) catch on, the networks are simply dropping by the wayside. They simply don’t have the pull, the monopoly, they used to have on what viewers are watching, and the more specialized channels will simply continue to draw viewers to more of what they like. Broadcast HD is also becoming a major player, and with sales of the Blu-Ray version of “Casino Royale” matching, and occasionally exceeding, sales of the DVD version, the “networks”, as they are, had better learn to be more creative, more original, and certainly more flexible, before they totally cease to exist.
April 28th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Yeah, I think Neilson ratings just aren’t the right way to measure TV. They should use iTunes downloads, and take into account things like TiVo. One of my favorite shows, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, didn’t perform as well on Monday nights, but was highly recorded and was one of the top shows downloaded on iTunes. It kinda sucks that Neilson ratings are all they go by.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
free quotes…
Excellent post. Keep it up!…