Jay Leno going back to 11:30... Conan's future unclear

[awildermode]

Originally Posted by Suave

Ratings for the last show:

O'Brien's last night as host of "The Tonight Show" drew a preliminary rating of 7.0, which translates to about 8 million households. But more impressive, he scored a 4.8 rating in the key demographic of viewers 18 to 49, one of the highest scores for any show at any time of night on network TV this year.

Jay Leno's finale as host of the "The Tonight Show" earned a final household rating of 8.8, topping O'Brien by about 2 million household

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/ente...finale_fr.html

this year? like all three weeks of 2010

[GreenLantern]

I still can't find the video of this music collaboration.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I still can't find the video of this music collaboration.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_433938.html

[Suave]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

How are ratings calculated? Can they actually tell how many households are watching a program?

Nielsen Television Ratings are gathered in one of two ways:
Viewer "diaries", in which a target audience self-records its viewing or listening habits.
A more technologically sophisticated system uses Set Meters, which are small devices connected to televisions in selected homes. These devices gather the viewing habits of the home and transmit the information nightly to Nielsen through a "Home Unit" connected to a phone line.



In Canada, BBM now uses pagers to track viewing habits. The pagers pick up audio signals that are embedded in the TV shows.

[wooohooo]

How are they able to track such age specifics in such a short time?

[Table 5]

You'd think if they can get you your data via a cable, they'd be able to track what station you are currently watching just as easily (ie, like websites!). All these Nielsen ways of having a specific audience record what they are watching in a diary feels so archaic.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Table 5

You'd think if they can get you your data via a cable, they'd be able to track what station you are currently watching just as easily (ie, like websites!). All these Nielsen ways of having a specific audience record what they are watching in a diary feels so archaic.

I have often wondered whether ratings can be determined through people with digital boxes. That would seem to be the most accurate measure.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by troutman

I have often wondered whether ratings can be determined through people with digital boxes. That would seem to be the most accurate measure.

My guess would be privacy issues, not everyone wants their viewing habits known.

[Acey]

The ratings are technically just samples, and many questions have been raised about their accuracy... but the networks, critics, bloggers etc., we all take it as gospel.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

My guess would be privacy issues, not everyone wants their viewing habits known.

Televison without borders.

[troutman]

Watch Freebird here while you still can:

http://videosift.com/video/Conan-Wil...-His-Last-Show

A semi-all-star jam played out O'Brien after his six-and-a-half months of late night talk glory - the last half month was more gory. Billy Gibbons. Ben Harper. And Beck. And, of course, Will Ferrell - with a guest appearance by very pregnant wife Viveca as a background dancer and deep, tongue-kissing target - on the cowbell.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by troutman

Watch Freebird here while you still can:

http://videosift.com/video/Conan-Wil...-His-Last-Show

A semi-all-star jam played out O'Brien after his six-and-a-half months of late night talk glory - the last half month was more gory. Billy Gibbons. Ben Harper. And Beck. And, of course, Will Ferrell - with a guest appearance by very pregnant wife Viveca as a background dancer and deep, tongue-kissing target - on the cowbell.

that is pure complete awesome. Conan's got some skills

[Raoul Duke]

Originally Posted by Table 5

You'd think if they can get you your data via a cable, they'd be able to track what station you are currently watching just as easily (ie, like websites!). All these Nielsen ways of having a specific audience record what they are watching in a diary feels so archaic.

I've often wondered about that myself. It just seems in this day of tech they'd be able to know within seconds who's watching what.

Having an old Neilsen box strapped to the TV seems vintage 1983. I also wonder - have you ever met a person who has one of these things? I hear they exist but nobody has them in my experience.

I mean if they gave one to my friend he's in my demographic but watches Smallville every day. If that's the reason shows like the Black Donnelly's got cancelled after 5 episodes I'll be pissed.

[GreenLantern]

Conan's closing speech was great. He will have no trouble finding his way somewhere else, it is just to bad that according to his speech, it won't be the dream that is the Tonight Show.

[Hemi-Cuda]

they should build it into digital boxes and allow you to opt-in to the ratings reporting if you want. if i record Better Off Ted on my PVR, then have my box report when i watch it so that it increases the ratings even slightly, maybe good shows can avoid getting canceled

they need to figure out a better way to do ratings though, because the old methods do not work for today's TV viewing habits

[Smell My Finger]

this is interesting it is from about 8-9 months ago on Conan its worth a look.

http://www.wimp.com/artielange/

[d_phaneuf]

Good article that pretty well sums up that if conan had engaged the young fans he has in the past week for the past 8 months he wouldn't be having this problem

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/bu...l?ref=business

[Regulator75]

When Tom Hanks entered from behind a curtain to go to his seat, the band played The Beatles “Lovely Rita,” which costs NBC half a million dollars.

Questlove, who is the drummer for The Roots on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” almost instantly tweeted, “yo i hate spoiling but i will have you know that walk on song we just heard was half a milli. i know cause i got the list rate at nbc and tom’s walkon music on conan is on my “restricted” list—wow a $500,000 walkon song lol.”

http://www.wwtdd.com/2010/01/this-co...00-per-second/

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

Good article that pretty well sums up that if conan had engaged the young fans he has in the past week for the past 8 months he wouldn't be having this problem

I think a lot of it goes back to the point that young people don't necessarily watch tv shows on a tv, and not always at that particular moment in time.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I think a lot of it goes back to the point that young people don't necessarily watch tv shows on a tv, and not always at that particular moment in time.

ya exactly, especially with late night shows

late night shows are more of a habit, and young people don't get in that habit as easy as people who are older