The Big Bang is Smoldered by Crimes and Idols: A quick take on the Nielsen rating system

Everybody has their favorites, but honestly, who can ignore the comedy of 4 science geeks who bring to a comedic reality what it's actually like being brilliant?  This show appeals to just about every demographic from young to old, and the extremely educated to maybe somebody who uses to pick on the science nerds in high school.  I take pride in calling myself a science geek, but I pose this question to myself and all of you out there.  Why, oh why can't us geeks or "good guys" ever win and why does Nielsen get to make the decision?  I set out on this quest to get to the bottom of this!

 

http://mykanspeaksall.blogspot.com/2011/05/nielsen-ratings-suck.html

Nielson Ratings 

Nielsen is a corporation that has been providing media feedback and statistics for over 50 years. The Television was invented in 1927 by Philo T. Farnswoth, and access or ability to purchase a TV set really didn't show popularity until the 1950s.  With this bit of information we can go ahead and make the statement that this corporation has grown right along side the invention of the television.  Nielsen bills themselves much more than just a television ratings company. According to http://www.nielsen.com, "our analysis and insights help to inform the decision-making process of brands and content providers as well as the research activities of universities and industry standards bodies."

How They Work

Neilsen ratings are determined by Neilsen families.  Neilsen families are chosen to represent the total population in statistical numbers for the content in which they are chosen to represent.  For these purposes let's stick with television as a content delivery medium.  Despite all the rumors that you might have been told, there is not a small box in your television recording what you watch and your every click. Nielsen families are asked or invited to become part of this ongoing statistical giant of information.  When approved by the Nielsen corporation, only then are they asked to connect the Nielsen box.  According to Jon Gibs, Nielsen's senior vice president for analytics and insights, "it's a very select few.  The reason these people are picked is because they are representative of a broader population." According to Marian Azzaro, author of Strategic Media Decisions, "a sample panel of about 5,000 homes across the country has these meters connected to their  television sets."

The Question

Nielsen's selections are strictly through chance or luck of the draw, so the questions still remains.  Why is my favorite show still landing behind investigative news and shoot'em up cops?  In my defense, I have many friends and family that would choose to watch Sheldon's nerdy humor and Raj's shy clumsy antics around beautiful women, rather than an unlawful cop shooting the bad guy.  That might just be the nerd screaming out of my though, but if all of us are nerds that love this show we can all stand to question the validity of the Nielsen study population choice.  I refuse to accept number eight on the top TV ratings.  BAZINGA!

 

 picture from http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-big-bang-theory/images/32245955/title/tbbt-photo