[John Corn]

Starting in fall 2003, Nielsen Media Research plans to report cable viewership without including satellite's delivery of cable programming in the company's local ratings books.

Nielsen is still discussing the specifics of the changes with clients, said Nielsen representative Karen Kratz.

Currently, a percentage of Nielsen's cable ratings include satellite delivery. Many local broadcasters have complained about that inclusion, saying they unfairly inflate cable's viewership. Because satellite carriage of cable does not include delivery of local cable programming or advertising, the broadcasters say satellite should not be included in the cable ratings.

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[dlsnyder]

That sounds like local broadcasters are complaining that satellite viewers don't watch local TV at all. IMHO the cable nets should fight this as it will unfairly deflate their ratings.

 

[Wyoming_Companion]

Originally posted by dlsnyder
That sounds like local broadcasters are complaining that satellite viewers don't watch local TV at all.

Broadcasters (and and in some markets, newspapers) love to complain that people don't watch (read) them.

I guess the part that they miss is that the public is not OBLIGATED to watch or read. If the broadcasts and newspapers offered a better quality product, people would watch and read.

If better stuff is on Discovery or HBO and we don't watch their local stations, that should tell the broadcasters something...but they don't listen.

It's much easier for the NAB to fight to eliminate competition to try to force people to watch them.

I'm sure that some radio stations will be campaigning against XM and Sirius to try to keep that competition away.

Viewers and listeners don't owe local broadcasters ANYTHING. They are there to serve US...not the other way around.

:shrug:

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

This has more to do with stations such as TBS, USA, TNN etc... which have advertising time set aside (Local Avails) to cable companies who sell ads to local businesses.

When you are watching one of these channels on Cable sometimes when they go to commercials instead of seeing the national ads we get on satellite, they see local ads for local businesses. (Dish Network runs Dish Network PPV ads and stuff where the local ads should go)

It is hard for cable TV guys to walk into a business now a days and say, I think you should advertise on ESPN because 100,000 residents in this area are watching ESPN, when it reality the current raitings counts satellite subs, so while the book says 100,000 viewers, only 80,000 of them may be people watching on cable. Because of satellite Cables numbers are useless and they are having a hard time selling advertising.