How to save Jericho, or why time-shift watching doesn’t help
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- June
- 14
CBS has been telling its fans to get more people watching Jericho so as to get the Nielsen numbers up.
But, you see, people who watch Jericho on their DVRs (TiVo or any other sort) or online or in any other fashion are basically being told they don’t count.
Jericho has tons of fans out there  CBS is fully aware, having received more than 40,000 pounds (more than 20 tons, or about 8 million peanuts!!!)
So the network’s insistence on Nielsen families seems a bit old-school.
Why have the episodes available on the Internet if those viewers aren’t going to count?
And let’s face it, why fight the DVR? They’re really cheap to get if you subscribe to cable already (I only pay $10 a month for the service and didn’t have to buy any equipment, for example). As pointed out on SyFy Portal NBC already does product placement in “Heroes.”
As I’ve previously blogged, product placement doesn’t bother me too much. It brings a bit of realism to the universe you’re watching, and as long as you don’t have Claire Bennett declaring that for those without healing powers Band-Aid(TM) brand is the best adhesive bandage, it’s relatively unobtrusive. I’d rather have that than commercials, actually.
So, come on CBS, enter the 21st Century. Don’t rely on Nielsen and other 20th Century technology. The times, they are a-changin’.
Who knows? After support like this, if you don’t want to continue Jericho beyond the seven-season pickup for next year, maybe a cable network with foresight (USA, SciFi, FX anyone?) will come to the rescue.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 14th, 2007 at 2:28 pm by Amy Vernon.
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I find it very sad that CBS would give our show back then give us the responsibility of finding Nielsen viewers to watch it. The very people who pounded them with Nuts are the people they should be counting. It’s insane that I can turn on my TV & watch Jericho & they don’t know it. Therefore, I will DVR it as I usually do & skip their commercials. Why would I want to buy from an advertiser who doesn’t even know I’m buying because of Jericho?
Thanks for the article. Very insightful. Hey, you want Moonves job?
What CBS is trying to tell you is that what keeps Jericho or any other tv show on the air is advertising revenues. CBS charges advertisers to run commericals on their shows. If nobody is watching that show, (read low ratings) nobody buys commericals during that show. What determines how much CBS charges per commerical is ratings as determined by Neilson Ratings Service. The higher that ratings, the higher charge CBS charges. Viewing on the internet, tivo, or DVR’s are not counted by Neilson. So in effect, they really don’t count or help Jericho stay on the air. Right or wrong, thats the way it is.
Yeah, but other shows have gotten smart with product placement. Admittedly, that’s a bit harder on Jericho than on some other shows, perhaps, but I’d rather have product placement than commercials.
The way people watch television is changing. CBS has got to change with it. If they don’t want to count the online viewers, then why offer the episodes online?
Oh, and Nielsen does count DVR viewers, in two ways. First, included in the regular ratings we see in the paper each week, are the viewers who watch the show on DVR the same day the show airs. That’d include people like me, who starts watching about 15 minutes into the show so I can fast-forward through all the commercials. Second, they release other ratings mostly only to the advertisers, that include all people who watched the show when it aired plus those who watched on DVR within a week of it airing.
If Planters Nuts doesn’t see this as an excellent enough advertising opportunity to sponsor the show, then I don’t know what this world is coming to…..
Marc,
I had to chuckle when I read your comment, but it is so true, heck for that note even Peter Pan Peanut butter could hook it….
Ha!
Marc and Marlene, you’re both onto something!