Live vs. Live+
Mediapost Publications’ David Goetzt writes about the Live vs Live+ ratings controversy and whether it affects the networks’ bottom line…
THE DECISION TO GUARANTEE 2006-07 upfront advertising deals solely on “live” TV audience ratings may have cost the TV networks hundreds of millions of dollars in potential advertising revenues. That’s the conclusion of a MediaDailyNews analysis based on conversations with top media buyers, TV sales executives and Nielsen ratings trend data through the first three weeks of the new TV season. To date, delayed viewing from digital video recorders is contributing another tenth of a Nielsen rating point to each of the Big 3 network’s prime-time ratings, which buyers estimate could be worth as much as $86 million per network over the course of the new TV season. When the impact of other broadcast network dayparts, cable and syndication are added into the equation, the total impact of the live-only decision could be worth upwards of half a billion dollars in sacrificed advertising revenues.
On May 22, Brian Stelter of TVNewser said “cable news nets simply do not care about total viewers. Got it? They do not care.”
They only care about “the demo,” according to him. If that was true, why would networks send out graphs containing total viewer numbers? And why would every major publication talk about total viewers when reporting ratings?
What a bunch of baloney.
Comment by Phil — October 11, 2006 @ 11:21 am
As the person who “outed” Brian’s steath use of the Live Plus data, perhaps Spud will indulge me here and allow me to refer folks to my post earlier today on this new report.
A word on ‘Live Plus’ ratings - UPDATE
http://www.olbermannwatch.com/archives/2006/10/a_word_on_live.html
This report is highlighting the point I was making last summer - to say that “Live Plus” data is some kind of accepted standard ran completely contrary to what was being reported in the press about the “upfronts” last spring. And now we get this report closing the book on the networks attempts to foist Live Plus on advertisters - yet TVN continues to report Live Plus data. Brian might want to consider that he is ALONE on this one and his use of this data is nothing more than a favor to his pals at MSNBC.
Comment by Robert Cox — October 11, 2006 @ 12:57 pm
I wonder if Brian at TVN will post something from “a tipster” (read: Dan Abrams or KO) that says this story is bogus.
Comment by eddiebear — October 11, 2006 @ 1:00 pm
I disagree. If I look at the live plus data and the regular data, they are almost identical. I am one who has always recorded my news - way before TIVO. Why? Because I like to WATCH. I have kids who interupt me! When I don’t quite get something I can rewind. Lots of reasons. Sure I try to skip through the commercials, but it doesn’t always work. And I watch more intently because if someone interupts me or I need to urinate, I can pause or rewind, so I do. Just as FNC viewers watch the whole program, so do those of us that record their news.
Comment by erljr — October 12, 2006 @ 6:56 pm