• by September 13, 2000

The 2000-2001 Television Season official begins on October 2, and in the weeks before that, the Summer Olympics will be telecast. During the coming weeks, and throughout the season, a numbers of different ratings for the same program or event will be quoted by networks, syndicators, stations, agencies and others. Today, Nielsen Media Research released an advisory intended to explain what TV ratings will be available, when they will be released, and, most importantly, that different ratings mean different things.

Throughout the Olympic Games, NBC and Nielsen Media Research will be working together to ensure that NBC has the most complete, up-to-date information, the announcement states, assuring that NBC will be the first and best source for audience information.

The announcement outlines the following:

Metered Market Overnight Ratings: This will be the first available viewing information and will consist of household ratings and shares based on the electronic measurement service that Nielsen provides in 48 of the nation's largest markets. Information is available for each of these metered markets, representing, in aggregate, 65,876,850 homes or 65% of all US TV households.

Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings will be available at approximately 10:15 a.m. (EST) the day after telecast. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including Olympic programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air all of the network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming.

Fast National Ratings: These audience estimates, based on the National People Meter samples, will be available at approximately 1 p.m. These national estimates are based on station line-ups and program times, as supplied by the originating network. Data are based on actual viewing minutes of the program, rather than a straight time period. The line-up of stations has not been electronically verified by Nielsen Media research, nor have conflicts been checked. During the Summer Olympics, NBC has ordered Fast National numbers for all dayparts during which they plan Olympic telecasts, including primetime, daytime and late night. Much of the "preliminary" rating data released by NBC to the media will be based on these Fast National estimates. In order to be consistent, these will be the primary source of Olympic ratings data early in the day.

Normal Delivery of National Preliminary Ratings: The normal release of primetime viewing information form the National People Meter sample occurs at approximately 3:15 p.m. (EST) and consists of household and demographic viewing information based on program times and station line-ups that have been electronically verified and conflict-checked by Nielsen. This means that only audiences to those affilia