Remember that drop in TV ratings reported during the season?

[Jon]

The drop was even worse than previously throught:

 

Trib[/url]"]On the television side, Sox games on WGN-Ch. 9 and WCIU-Ch. 26 did a 5.1 rating, up 21 percent, while the Cubs dropped to a 4.5, down 22 percent.

 

One local ratings point is worth more than 34,000 homes. On Comcast SportsNet, the Sox pulled a 3.1 rating, while the Cubs did a 2.9.

 

Crain's[/url]"]The ratings are crucial because they ultimately translate into advertising dollars. Before the season began, WGN was asking some advertisers to pay $10,000 for a 30-second commercial during Cubs games vs. $9,000 during Sox games, according to an industry source. WGN, like the Cubs, is owned by Tribune Co.

 

In addition to TV ad rates, viewership determines how much the teams can charge for in-stadium advertising that may appear on television.

 

Since 1990, WGN has televised Cubs and Sox games, but no one interviewed for this story recalls a time when the Sox drew more viewers. The Cubs' losing record, which led to the firing of manager Dusty Baker, had an impact.

 

"While the Cubs had a difficult year, the Sox had a great year, and that's great for the station," WGN General Manager Tom Ehlmann says in a statement. "The Cubs clearly are taking steps to improve the team and we all believe there are better days ahead."

 

On both WGN and WCIU, the Sox's ratings for the season rose 21% over last year, to a 5.1, while the Cubs' fell 22% to a 4.5. One rating point equals 34,550 area households.

 

The Sox scored a 3.1 rating on Comcast SportsNet, up 19% from the previous season. The Cubs slipped 25% to a 2.9.

 

The Cubs still had greater ticket sales this year, selling 3.12 million tickets to Wrigley Field vs. the 2.96 million to U.S. Cellular Field.

 

Good going, Jim.

[Omar]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Maybe this is why they are willing to raise the payroll to 115 million.

[Jon]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

 

Dum dum dum dum dum

[Anomalied]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

[Sammy Sofa]

HAW-HAW!!!

 

I hate to revel in such things, but THESE are the kind of results that are going to kick the Tribune in the butt and have them follow through on some serious improvements and/or ultimately sell the team.

[goonys evil twin]

How do ratings work?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

Nielsen measures ratings by having people fill out diaries of what they watched, and also by installing meters in some houses that gather the info, with the person's permission of course. They take this sample and extrapolate it out to get their data. Many TV people really, really hate the Nielsen ratings.

[goonys evil twin]

Hopefully this negates some of the "they have no incentive to win" talk.

[cubweiser03]

People think that a way to make a team hurt is by not buy tickets. Nope, dont watch the games on tv, then they will feel the pain. Its not about the asses in seats its about the boobs who watch the tube. The trib just got their wake up call.

[Andy]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

I like this part...

 

The network will also expand its "Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week" coverage to up to 26 weeks per season, an increase from 18 weeks.

[J.R.]

This one was easy to see coming. Even this place, a bastion of diehards, was sparsely populated after the All-Star Break this season. Dusty and his garbage were just unbearable to watch.

 

This is more an indictment of Johnnie B. and Jimbo than anything else.

[chuckywang]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

I think they're measured by having some households a device that tracks their TV viewing habits. This is then extrapolated to the entire region.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

People think that a way to make a team hurt is by not buy tickets. Nope, dont watch the games on tv, then they will feel the pain. Its not about the asses in seats its about the boobs who watch the tube. The trib just got their wake up call.

 

Don't you mean Ruschs?

[A New Era]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

I think they're measured by having some households a device that tracks their TV viewing habits. This is then extrapolated to the entire region.

 

I don't know how you could do that though. You just don't take 1 or 5% of the city, take the percentage of those who switch on the game, and then extrapolate from that, to 100%. It's just not going to be accurate. I always thought it worked like radio in that they could simply detect the signals coming in and when they switched off.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

I think they're measured by having some households a device that tracks their TV viewing habits. This is then extrapolated to the entire region.

 

I don't know how you could do that though. You just don't take 1 or 5% of the city, take the percentage of those who switch on the game, and then extrapolate from that, to 100%. It's just not going to be accurate. I always thought it worked like radio in that they could simply detect the signals coming in and when they switched off.

 

It's not going to be perfectly accurate, but it's going to be close. And, according to goony's link, they also do phone calls on top of the sampling

[Omar]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

I think they're measured by having some households a device that tracks their TV viewing habits. This is then extrapolated to the entire region.

 

I don't know how you could do that though. You just don't take 1 or 5% of the city, take the percentage of those who switch on the game, and then extrapolate from that, to 100%. It's just not going to be accurate. I always thought it worked like radio in that they could simply detect the signals coming in and when they switched off.

 

It's not going to be perfectly accurate, but it's going to be close. And, according to goony's link, they also do phone calls on top of the sampling

 

I always thought that companies (DishNetwork, Comcast etc.) measured it for each show they show and sent it to the channel or put it together.

 

It'd make more sense.

[hawkeyecub]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

I think they're measured by having some households a device that tracks their TV viewing habits. This is then extrapolated to the entire region.

 

I don't know how you could do that though. You just don't take 1 or 5% of the city, take the percentage of those who switch on the game, and then extrapolate from that, to 100%. It's just not going to be accurate. I always thought it worked like radio in that they could simply detect the signals coming in and when they switched off.

 

It's not going to be perfectly accurate, but it's going to be close. And, according to goony's link, they also do phone calls on top of the sampling

 

I've never known anyone who has known anyone who was a Nielson household.

[radarluv1]

my family contributed to some tv rating service for a short while when i was in high school (early 90's) we had a diary but no devices of any kind. i remember not being real accurate-when flipping channels i would just put my favorite or what i might have spent the most time on. not a very accurate system.

[CubFanPhilly]

I've never known anyone who has known anyone who was a Nielson household.

 

My roommates and I were a Nielsen household for two years in Chicago.

 

We had the set-top box that recorded our viewing and phoned in the data by modem each night. The Nielsen box had a remote which you used to indicate which members of the household were watching at the time. You had to update it once an hour or so. An interesting experience, but also a pain in the arse.

[ConstableRabbit]

I've never known anyone who has known anyone who was a Nielson household.

 

My roommates and I were a Nielsen household for two years in Chicago.

 

We had the set-top box that recorded our viewing and phoned in the data by modem each night. The Nielsen box had a remote which you used to indicate which members of the household were watching at the time. You had to update it once an hour or so. An interesting experience, but also a pain in the arse.

 

Were you compensated for it? If not, why did you bother?

[J.R.]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

 

It disgusts me that one of baseball's signature events will be shown on a bottom-rung cable channel. TBS is trash.

 

Oh well. TBSHD had better be in decent circulation a year from now. That channel is little more than a friggin' myth to me at this point.

[UMFan83]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

I think they're measured by having some households a device that tracks their TV viewing habits. This is then extrapolated to the entire region.

 

I don't know how you could do that though. You just don't take 1 or 5% of the city, take the percentage of those who switch on the game, and then extrapolate from that, to 100%. It's just not going to be accurate. I always thought it worked like radio in that they could simply detect the signals coming in and when they switched off.

 

Statistically speaking, it is very accurate with of course the margin of error added in. People use sample sizes of 1-5% (even less) in many important estimations, including government and business statistics.

[c3ci1]

Mine's a new Nielsen household. If the 5000 Nielsen households estimate is correct, I counted as about 20,000 households who didn't care to tune in for ~2/3 of the season. They compensate in the form of monetary "tokens of appreciation", but it's not a huge inconvenience to me anyway & I like being a voice that's the basis for extrapolation of that magnitude for a while.