"Over 60 million people watch ______" How do they know?

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DuckRacer

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I was watching what I had taped on my DVR, and I got to the commercials. One of them said that "65 million people watch CSI". My question is, how do they know? Do they have some tracking device in your TV? What are your thoughts?
 
Sample audiences.

They ask a bunch of people, and multiply that amount to however much the real population is.

Thread done :D
 
Obviously they included all three versions of the show. CSI isn't the top rated CBS show, I think. I believe is't Two and a Half Men. Or, maybe that was just for comedy shows?
 
MdnIte
Sample audiences.

They ask a bunch of people, and multiply that amount to however much the real population is.

Thread done :D
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Really? :dopey:
Solid Lifters
Obviously they included all three versions of the show. CSI isn't the top rated CBS show, I think. I believe is't Two and a Half Men. Or, maybe that was just for comedy shows?
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Who said anything about the top rated show? :odd:
 
There is no way Two and a Half Men could be the top rated show; you must have your statistics messed up.

Here's an interesting fact: more people watched last season's finale of CSI than the Super Bowl.
 
As CSI is aired around the world, and basically only Yanks and Yankee culture freaks watch the Superbowl, that's entirely believable.

CSI is shown almost everywhere... I think 65 million is a bit pessimistic.
 
MdnIte
Sample audiences.

They ask a bunch of people, and multiply that amount to however much the real population is.

Thread done :D
Click to expand...
Don't forget the 5,000 or so Nielson boxes scattered around the country.
 
MdnIte
Sample audiences.

They ask a bunch of people, and multiply that amount to however much the real population is.

Thread done :D
Click to expand...
And the audience say's... X.

They can track what chanel is being viewed. They can say, last weekend, xxxxx number of peopel tuned into BBC 1 to see xxxxx at 10pm. It's not done by asking people it's all trackable info.
 
Same with the TV licenses thing, they can track and find out if you have a license or not.
 
live4speed
And the audience say's... X.

They can track what chanel is being viewed. They can say, last weekend, xxxxx number of peopel tuned into BBC 1 to see xxxxx at 10pm. It's not done by asking people it's all trackable info.
Click to expand...

Actually, MdnIte was right.

There is a "sample" audience of around 5,000 households with boxes plugged into their phonelines/primary TV. At random intervals, a message flips up asking what channel they are watching and how many people in the house are watching it. This is reverse calculated against population data to estimate what population of the viewing audience is watching TV at that time, and what percentage of that (and thus also raw numbers) are watching any channel.


It is, as far as I know, only possible externally to determine whether an active TV signal is being received (that is to say that a TV is on) and not which channel it is receiving (since this is governed by internal electronics and not external signals). TV Licence vans only know that you're watching TV and not WHAT you're watching.
 
GT_Fan2005
Same with the TV licenses thing, they can track and find out if you have a license or not.
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I don't think that's how it works. I have no idea how they do it, but i'm sure they can't track TV waves. I think TV works as sending out one big radio wave or that area, and it doesn't matter how many tvs pick it up, so they can't track it. The only way that they could track it, would be to send out individual radio waves unique to each address and TV. Unless each TV sends out a wave to the station telling it that it's been recieved. But who knows.

Maybe cable and satelite TV works differently, but i dunno.
 
Jon.
I don't think that's how it works. I have no idea how they do it, but i'm sure they can't track TV waves. I think TV works as sending out one big radio wave or that area, and it doesn't matter how many tvs pick it up, so they can't track it. The only way that they could track it, would be to send out individual radio waves unique to each address and TV. Unless each TV sends out a wave to the station telling it that it's been recieved. But who knows.

Maybe cable and satelite TV works differently, but i dunno.
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I don't think television can send out a signal. It only translates the incoming data into video.
 
Famine
Actually, MdnIte was right.

There is a "sample" audience of around 5,000 households with boxes plugged into their phonelines/primary TV. At random intervals, a message flips up asking what channel they are watching and how many people in the house are watching it. This is reverse calculated against population data to estimate what population of the viewing audience is watching TV at that time, and what percentage of that (and thus also raw numbers) are watching any channel.


It is, as far as I know, only possible externally to determine whether an active TV signal is being received (that is to say that a TV is on) and not which channel it is receiving (since this is governed by internal electronics and not external signals). TV Licence vans only know that you're watching TV and not WHAT you're watching.
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I think thats only partially right, awell it's right in the case of standard terestrial TV. Digital TV can a completely different setup. Whatever channel your watching and when is stored on your box, and that info is accessible to anyone with a connection to your box ie your provider. With freeview, the info can be stored but you don't have a set provider so I don't think it would ever be accessed. But I know thats in the case of NTL, they can check who's watched what channel and when. A mate of mine works there and he told me they could a long time ago.
 
dustdriver
I don't think television can send out a signal. It only translates the incoming data into video.
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But some of the signal is reflected back up the cable and out via the aerial.

That is how TV liscensing van can determine you are watching TV according to the Connected Article in the back of the Daily Telegraph.
 
live4speed
I think thats only partially right, awell it's right in the case of standard terestrial TV. Digital TV can a completely different setup. Whatever channel your watching and when is stored on your box, and that info is accessible to anyone with a connection to your box ie your provider.
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That's also not wholly true.

Disconnect your digital box from your phone line for a couple of weeks and watch how they react...

Your box doesn't store the information as, other than Sky+ and the like, it doesn't have much in the way of RAM. It occasionally sends information as to what you are watching NOW down the phone line.

live4speed
With freeview, the info can be stored but you don't have a set provider so I don't think it would ever be accessed. But I know thats in the case of NTL, they can check who's watched what channel and when. A mate of mine works there and he told me they could a long time ago.
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With cable digital it is different - there is a permanent upstream/downstream exchange of information down the cable line, so they always know what you're watching and when - and send you useless junk mail based on your viewing preferences. Arses.
 
We'll it'll have been cable digital he was talking about, thats pretty much what he said. And I do get the junk mail.
 
Actually, there's a little device in every remote that registers what channel that you're on. Atleast that's what Swedish Sience says.
 
Famine
With cable digital it is different - there is a permanent upstream/downstream exchange of information down the cable line, so they always know what you're watching and when - and send you useless junk mail based on your viewing preferences. Arses.
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I didn't know that. It's kinda scary when you think of it. :crazy:

Thanks everyone for all answering my question. :D
 
Famine
- and send you useless junk mail based on your viewing preferences. Arses.
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Actually this could be better than getting gay stuff, at least the stuff you get is interesting because your interested in it!.

I wish adds were tailor made, id want to see all the funny and wity adds, this would make it much more enjoyable.
 
I Thought It Was Just A Simple Paper Form That Tracked What A Certain Selected Group Of Individuals Watched Over A Week And Then They Sent It Back To The Corporation, Or Is That For The Raitings?
 
.Duck.
How about no ads? :dopey:
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need some, with no pause button how are you to go to the toliet or get some more munchies?

I like the idea of only 1 add break about 5 - 10 mins long. instead of 5 - 7 2min slots.
 

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