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Woo hoo! We're a Nielsen family!

O

offtrackv

Ensign
Red Shirt
At last! After literally decades of watching my favorite series cancelled time & time again due to "bad ratings", I get a chance to make a difference. For one week starting Nov. 4, Nielsen Media wants to know what I watch!

I think I'll turn that week into a total scifi geek-out extravaganza. So what should I watch? Will V be back on by then? That's definitely a yes. What else? Stargate Universe, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Caprica, Fringe, The Event, Nikita, Chuck, No Ordinary Family, The Cape, etc. etc. etc?

Will BBC America be running Doctor Who? Ah crap, I don't get BBC America. Will Syfy be running Doctor Who?

Come on, everyone, this is our time! Thanks for the input.

V
 
Congrats!

But, shhh don't go into any more detail about who you are, where you're located, etc. I've heard stories, i'm not sure if its legal or just advertisers invalidating certain ratings because of irregularities.
 
I wonder if the secrecy thing is valid anymore. All I know is that I got a postcard from Nielsen, then a phone call, and now presumably my log booklets are in the mail. At no time was it said that I shouldn't discuss it. Perhaps in this fragmented media environment the rules have changed?

I'm sure they'd like to capture my "normal" viewing habits, but the truth is, my habits have already been altered by ratings. I've deliberately stayed away from new shows, particularly on the major networks, because I knew they'd be cancelled just as I was getting into them.

In a world free from the threat of cancellation, I'd be watching every scifi program I could find. Maybe not in the same week, of course.....

Speaking of which, so few scifi suggestions from a scifi & fantasy board!
 
Mr Light said:
I thought it was a literal box that monitors what you watch? It's just a book you fill out?
Click to expand...
Nielsen Media Research uses two methods to track in-home viewership figures: Set Meters (the box that tracks on a minute-to-minute basis) or diaries filled out by the family. Then, of course, there are the DVR numbers that are collected as well.
 
We were selected. Got a postcard in the mail saying to expect a phone call. The lady on the phone asked what we watched in our household. Sci-fi, baby! Except for my wife, who watches Dancing w/ the Stars and Parenthood....
 
I got the diary book format 3 years ago. They also sent cash money, I think it was $10 or something for my trouble.

I heavily made mine sci-fi oriented. Indicated I had 2 TV's so I could overlap if shows came on at the same time. However, to keep it from looking too funny I'd put shows in there that I didn't care for but knew some friends or family liked. Also made sure to list things like 'The Today Show' while I got ready in the morning.
 
I got that--during the damned Olympics!!!!

What the hell?! NONE of my shows were on that week. I couldn’t help a single show I liked and regularly watched. I didn’t watch the Olympics much and let those ratings drop.
 
I think the log-book thing is taken a bit less seriously than the set-top box (because, obviously, the books could be faked.) It's cool, I've done the booklet thing too, but it's hardly as notable as being a "real" Nielsen family.
 
Stargate Universe, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Caprica, Fringe, The Event, Nikita, Chuck, No Ordinary Family, The Cape
Click to expand...
Frankly, I don't think any of them deserve your Nielsens vote, but you might keep an eye on Caprica to see if they shape up.

Speaking of which, so few scifi suggestions from a scifi & fantasy board!
Click to expand...

Have you noticed how few worthwhile sci fi shows there are on the air?!? It's pathetic! I recommend you watch Sons of Anarchy and Dexter. They may not be sci fi but at least they're worth bothering with.
 
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