• by Wayne Friedman , February 9, 2011

Another new TV measuring company metric -- one consisting of "audience involvement and commitment" -- says CBS' "CSI" has received the highest marks for this season so far. 

The Charlotte-based company General Sentiment, along with Q Scores -- the company that ranks "Q" scores for TV performers and shows -- says CBS earned five placements in the top 20, according to its TV Audience Evaluation Report. Concerning new shows, NBC serial drama "The Event" -- although it earned lukewarm numbers from traditional Nielsen ratings -- has scored the highest marks.

NBC's "School Pride" improved steadily throughout the fall season, while the CW's "Plain Jane" fell significantly and was the biggest loser.

The companies say the measurement pools data from various news and social media platforms, such as Twitter.

General Sentiment's chief executive officer Greg Artzt stated: "The TVAER is designed to be used in conjunction with traditional ratings to identify shows that are not only popular in terms of viewership, but in fan discussion online. Knowing how many people watched your show is important. Knowing how many people will watch your show next week is revolutionary."

The company breaks down TV shows in different categories: Fox's "Family Guy" ranked first on Twitter and third in social media, while CBS' "CSI" took the top spot in news media and in the overall rankings. Other CBS shows on the list include "Big Bang Theory" and "NCIS." General Sentiment measures online discussion areas of TV shows, as well as the specific online news exposure of those shows.