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Measuring TV viewership has been going on for 50 years. They're not so dumb as to just measure the time the TV spends emitting photons. Today Neilsen uses mul

Measuring TV viewership has been going on for 50 years. They're not so dumb as to just measure the time the TV spends emitting photons. Today Neilsen uses multiple techniques. In addition to self-reporting via diaries, local people meters are deployed in measured homes. When a person sits in front of the TV they identify themselves to the LPM by pressing their ID button in order to indicate someone is in front of the TV. Yes there may be error in this since it's just-in-time self-reporting, but viewership numbers have been robust and consistent for a very long time.

Arizhel 9y ago
They're also only getting metrics from people willing to be Neilsen reporters. What kind of compensation do they offer to do this? How many people refuse, because they can't be bothered with it? Is someone who makes $150k going to have any interest in being a part of this? If not, then the results are skewed because you're only getting the lower-income people. What about people who don't have a TV; how are they measuring that? I posit that viewership numbers have been "robust and consistent" because they're picking people who fit that.
- zzalpha 9y ago
  Possible. It presumes, of course, that there aren't multiple ways that viewership is measured beyond just nielsen, and that in 50 years no one considered this possibility and developed methods to unskew the data. Possible? Yes. Likely? I struggle to believe it.
- Godel_unicode 9y ago
  You might wish to consider how many people in the US make "$150k", and then reconsider if excluding them would be representative. Also, all the cable providers sell aggregate/anonymous statistics about TV viewership. Because of SDV, they know what channel your Cable box is tuned to.
  - Arizhel 9y ago
    Making $150k in the US is nothing remarkable, especially if you're a dual-earner family. Good luck affording decent housing in many metro areas if you make less than that.
    - scarface74 9y ago
      http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/income-rank/ http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/income-rank/ If you have a household income of $150K you are in the top 13% of earners.
      - Arizhel 9y ago
        So what? That's irrelevant, because housing costs vary dramatically in different markets. $150k isn't going to buy you a nice house in Silicon Valley, maybe an efficiency condo at best.
        scarface74 9y ago
        It's always an option to move. There are plenty of opportunities outside of SV.
        Arizhel 9y ago
        Yes, in places like Seattle, NYC, Boston, DC, etc., where the housing costs are also astronomical, and your salary is commensurately lower.
        scarface74 9y ago
        http://www.businessinsider.com/cities-us-software-engineer-ranked-salary-cost-living-2015-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/cities-us-software-engineer-r...
        Arizhel 9y ago

Arizhel 9y ago

They're also only getting metrics from people willing to be Neilsen reporters. What kind of compensation do they offer to do this? How many people refuse, because they can't be bothered with it? Is someone who makes $150k going to have any interest in being a part of this? If not, then the results are skewed because you're only getting the lower-income people. What about people who don't have a TV; how are they measuring that? I posit that viewership numbers have been "robust and consistent" because they're picking people who fit that.

zzalpha 9y ago
Possible. It presumes, of course, that there aren't multiple ways that viewership is measured beyond just nielsen, and that in 50 years no one considered this possibility and developed methods to unskew the data. Possible? Yes. Likely? I struggle to believe it.
Godel_unicode 9y ago
You might wish to consider how many people in the US make "$150k", and then reconsider if excluding them would be representative. Also, all the cable providers sell aggregate/anonymous statistics about TV viewership. Because of SDV, they know what channel your Cable box is tuned to.
- Arizhel 9y ago
  Making $150k in the US is nothing remarkable, especially if you're a dual-earner family. Good luck affording decent housing in many metro areas if you make less than that.
  - scarface74 9y ago
    http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/income-rank/ http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/income-rank/ If you have a household income of $150K you are in the top 13% of earners.
    - Arizhel 9y ago
      So what? That's irrelevant, because housing costs vary dramatically in different markets. $150k isn't going to buy you a nice house in Silicon Valley, maybe an efficiency condo at best.
      - scarface74 9y ago
        It's always an option to move. There are plenty of opportunities outside of SV.
        Arizhel 9y ago
        Yes, in places like Seattle, NYC, Boston, DC, etc., where the housing costs are also astronomical, and your salary is commensurately lower.
        scarface74 9y ago
        http://www.businessinsider.com/cities-us-software-engineer-ranked-salary-cost-living-2015-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/cities-us-software-engineer-r...
        Arizhel 9y ago