Comments on: Monday: Chuck beats Sarah Connor, Heroes down a little more

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:00:08 +0000

I don’t understand why The CW keeps worshipping dramas such as Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill when they have terrible ratings. They are being beat out by the spanish channel! If that’s the case, they should have given Veronica Mars the same treatment. At least that show had a plot and people who could act.

By: Joe Cool

Joe Cool — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:34:03 +0000

HEROES has pretty much screwed the pooch after Krings comments. With a show like HEROES, once the magics gone, its gone. Alot of people will just tune in for the series finale to find out how it all ends. I did that with JERICHO after Season 2 became a joke when it seems like they hired Michael Moore and Olly Stone to ghost write it. HEROES aint that bad – yet.

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:17:24 +0000

FrankJ, Heroes may continue to fall because of the reasons that started the fall (including some of the hubris evidenced by those comments), but I doubt that reading Kring’s idiot comments themselves will do much. Very few Heroes watchers on a relative basis will actually learn of them. Sure, we do, and so does everyone else who goes to fan sites, but that’s still a small % of the overall viewers.

By: FrankJ

FrankJ — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:13:06 +0000

I have to wonder, now that Kring has decided to open his mouth about the show’s fans, if Heroes won’t drop below Chuck’s ratings before long. It’ll be sad to see if it does, I hate it when any sci-fi themed show goes down, but with all of that promotion for Heroes last week and next to none for Chuck, both of them are separated by 800,000 viewers now. And Chuck is probably going to gain next week considering how the last episode ended (I still think it would have been even wilder if they had just shown Sarah holding the watch at the end, and not cut to Jill and Chuck in the car).

By: Nick C

Nick C — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:34:46 +0000

Rachel, the good news is that Nielsen fully understands the situation and realizes they are weak in sampling certain “buying audiences,” and does everything they can to improve their sampling. At least they aren’t an old dinosaur refusing to adjust their habits.

By: Rachel P

Rachel P — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:30:50 +0000

Oh, right. Well, that makes sense then… I do wish they’d track it my way as well, because I’d still like to know how many total viewers these shows are really getting.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:25:06 +0000

Rachel, the problem with that is it can’t tell if it’s you or your dad watching. There’s a big difference to the advertisers.

The market that matters (advertising)has spoken. it doesn’t say that Nielsen is perfect, but it does say it’s preferential to everything else. All other discussions are fairly moot until the market moves in a different direction.

By: Rachel P

Rachel P — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:20:11 +0000

Yeah, screw the Nielsen Numbers!

I have a question though… since cable is all digital now (or at least will be next Feb) wouldn’t they somehow be able to use that to track what every TV is watching? Or maybe I’m totally missing something here…

By: Nick C

Nick C — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:06:14 +0000

Robert, I know of one study that basically compared the viewing statistics of cable boxes in NYC to Nielsen data in NYC. There was a large enough difference to question Nielsen’s sampling process.

Of course those boxes don’t tell you who is watching, what sex, how old, etc. All it could go against was overall viewing.

I’ve always questioned how Nielsen goes about their sampling. Questions certainly get raised when DVD box sets sell better than Nielsen data would leave you to believe (specifically FAMILY GUY, SMALLVILLE & FIREFLY, and FAMILY GUY before the reruns on Adult Swim). Those shows passed both the normal and high percentages of season sales.

Of course now FAMILY GUY does well with the ratings. Now it’s a bigger hit than it was before with the sales I mentioned.

I think there is statistical data available that shows that NIELSEN is weak in sampling certain buyer profiles.

Then again gauging TV “buying,” habits is much more difficult than say polling voters.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:43:46 +0000

Thanks Robert. I actually thought the number might be close to maybe half a million but at 131,000; that isn’t a number big enough for any real difference in the NBC rating.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:41:45 +0000

Rob, Wonder NO more. G4 viewing is insignificant, for Heroes and in general. It’s more than iTunes downloads, but Heroes last Tuesday at 10pm (not last night, but 11/11) on G4 drew 131,000 viewers. It was outranked by multiple episodes of Higglytown Heroes and reruns of Hogans Heroes.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:32:40 +0000

i Do wonder. The G4 network is probably not available too that many households but it does aim at the 18-34 audience specifically tech geek crowd. Does the fact that G4 does air Heroes the next night impact the NBC monday night rating and dvr recordings at all. You have to think that there are some amount of viewers lost but is it in the thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands?

By: Sarah Connor Society » Blog Archive » TSCC News and Review Round-Up

Sarah Connor Society » Blog Archive » TSCC News and Review Round-Up — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:17:50 +0000

[...] only are the reviews in but also the overnight ratings have come in. TV by the Numbers posted the overnights and as we all know by now TSCC does not have the greatest numbers. The good [...]

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:54:51 +0000

While I can't vouch for the accuracy of the Nielsen data, I can definitely vouch for the accuracy of statistical sampling in general. I'm sure you're not pretending to be ignorant about it, but really are -- so read and learn.

By: D E

D E — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:47:12 +0000

How can these ratings PRETEND to be accurate? I don’t have a nielsen system. If I watch or don’t watch it doesn’t matter. Nobody I know has one, I have never even heard of anybody who has. I don’t think that they actually have the boxes in any type of a representative fashion. The fact that it is so heavily skewed towards dancing with the stars and sitcoms shows how skewed it is.

By: Cookson

Cookson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:59 +0000

Since people LOVEDDDD to compare HEROES and LOST back in the day, I’d just like to mention that HEROES is definitely behind…by a lot. Season 3 of LOST was still getting over 11m viewers… and actually stayed that way in Season 4.

So, numbers wise.. LOST wins…. yes, already. As far as quality, that’s up for you to decide, but LOST has definitely stabilized itself with the ending of S3 and the entire 4th season.

I hope these numbers aren’t an indication of what will happen to LOST this season though. There’s a difference though, LOST actually has good writers etc…

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:55:02 +0000

What’s Manswers? I’ve never heard of it.

By: Joe Cool

Joe Cool — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:42:11 +0000

The best show on the air is MANSWERS !!! Why is it on only at 11pm on SPIKE? Sure they get into adult stuff but its no worse than TWO MEN and an OBESE TEENAGER.

By: Josie

Josie — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:01:32 +0000

As much as I hate to say this once DWTS is over for this cycle, Heroes should see a rebound. If the numbers stay low during The Bacholer I think Kring and crew should seriously cut their losses-like they did with Crossing Jordan- bail out and hand Heroes over to a triage team and start a new development phase.

By: Alexx

Alexx — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:22:50 +0000

THis makes me so mad that heroes keeps getting low ratings.
They need to move it to another night. It’s up againts too many good shows
and football. I think this will solve it.

By: Rachel P

Rachel P — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:54:53 +0000

Suh-WEET!
Can’t wait!

By: Corey

Corey — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:57:41 +0000

R.G., I got this from the T:SCC writers blog. Episodes 14-22 start in Feburary. Standard back 9 deal.

“New episodes continue next Monday with Complications at 8PM/7PMc (only on FOX!) and air every Monday through the shocking end of our first thirteen episodes on December 15th! You’ll have to see it with your own eyes to believe it…

Then, get ready for the greatest night of sci-fi awesomeness that ever happened as we return with our fourteenth episode beginning on Friday, February 13, 2009.”

http://www.fox.com/blogs/terminator/

By: MILF Island

MILF Island — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:54:47 +0000

Stan Down

What tough issue is Two and a Half Men tackling that no other show go near? What is a better tool for masturbating: banana peel or a tube sock? What to do when you have an erection lasting more than 4 hours: go see a doctor or find a girl to bang? Two and a Half Men may have witty dialogue but it isn’t as sophisticated or smart as 30 Rock. Clearly, you are blinded by how the show has helped your grandma.

By: Noah

Noah — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:37:59 +0000

Stan, have you even seen Terminator and Chuck? What would make you call them turds?

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:28:29 +0000

Thanks Tom for your wonderful commentary. I will add I bet there are alot of families that watch DWTS together. It’s the only show on tv that my entire family watches. It is fun. It is also an inspiring and uplifting program and it seems to end it’s season so quickly that we never get tired of it, unlike alot of the reality shows that go on to the point that you get bored with them. We also like 2 1/2 Men on occasion but sometimes they go overboard with the sex jokes and I even like the CSI and Criminal Minds shows but watching people being murdered and disected everynight of the week is overkill and I don’t see how anyone can do it without eventually becoming paranoid and depressed. To each his own. Apparently, millions of people love to watch murder shows seven nights a week. I just don’t think it lends itself to a healthy mindset.