Nielsen Bows to Clients’ Wishes, Axes New Cume Rating Rule

A new and problematic policy of Nielsen’s, one which allowed two airings of the same network show to be combined into a single unit for ratings purposes if the commercial load was the same in each, has been scrapped.

Client complaints were the cause of the rule being overturned, writes Broadcasting & Cable.

The rule made news last week after NBC chose to report two airings of Heroes as a single, unduplicated rating. Competing networks cried foul. Although NBC’s move was within the letter of the rule, it caused several problems for clients, Nielsen said. The new policy, which pulled together a cumulative rating of the two airings, meant that the rating for the original airing of a show wouldn’t be available until weekly averages were released.

Too, because the second airing of Heroes came on Saturday night during a time slot that is typically one of the slowest hours in television, NBC was able to not report what would likely have been one of its lowest ratings hours.

“Clients told us that it was essential for the ratings to the individual telecasts to remain available so that viewing to each telecast can be analyzed separately and to ensure there is no ratings gap in any time period. In addition, clients commented that the ability to combine two telecasts should not be allowed unless the option was available for all national media types.”

“We do, however, still see the need to explore new reporting options to give clients increased flexibility in how ratings are produced,” Nielsen added (via TV Week). “With all the options available to report time-shifted viewing (via DVRs, on-demand, etc.), there is a need for increased flexibility in how linear programming is reported. As we pursue new ideas, we will ensure that any new option is additive and that it be available to all clients.”