The Town with Matthew Belloni How the Hell Do Nielsen Ratings Actually Work?
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Mar 7, 2025 Brian Fuhrer, Senior VP of Product Strategy at Nielsen, demystifies ratings amid a changing media landscape. He explains how Nielsen tracks viewing habits, including out-of-home viewing, and unveils surprising Oscars ratings metrics. The conversation dives into how streaming is drawing younger audiences and highlights the most influential shows captivating this demographic. Plus, Fuhrer shares insights on the evolving dynamics of data collection and how major events are affected by audience shifts.
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Nielsen's Importance
- Nielsen remains the industry standard for viewership data, despite challenges from streaming.
- Their data is valuable due to their neutral third-party status.
How Nielsen Ratings Work
- Nielsen uses a panel of 44,000 homes to measure TV viewership.
- They collect demographic data and use electronic meters to track consumption.
Audio Code Tracking
- Nielsen uses inaudible audio codes embedded in broadcasts to track viewing.
- This helps identify the program and account for time-shifted viewing.