Fewer Broadcast Prime-Time Shows With 10 Million-Plus Viewers This Season
- by Wayne Friedman , November 18, 2019
Analysis of longer time-shifted availability of network prime-time shows -- up to a week after their initial first airing -- may not be helping TV networks much.
There has been a drop in top non-sports shows this season -- those that garner more than a Nielsen-measured 10 million viewers, the …
Wayne, of course average commercial minute ratings will continue to fragment. However if you take a show with 10 million average commercial minute "viewers" per airing that stat does not tell you how many watched that episode. For example, if you add those viewers who zapped the commercials, the figure can rise to 15 million and if you stretch out the time frame to two months ---- "C-60"--- and toss in digital exposures another 4-5 million may be added. Also, if you take all viewers who watched, say, 6 minutes of the program, but not a given minute---the per airing the number can increase to 25 million. Finally, across a full season still more people will see one or more episodes--- raising the number who, at some point, watched the show to 60-75 million---or more. My point is that commercial minute ratings are merely a narrowly focused metric for time buyers and sellers to use as a "currency" for guaranteed GRP deals. They don't necessarily tell you how popular a show is with consumers who know nothing about GRPs, CPMs, etc.