Nielsen news stories on Newser

Oprah Winfrey: Sorry for Begging for OWN Viewers

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:13:04 CST

We all know the Oprah Winfrey Network is struggling with ratings —but apparently the situation is so bad that Winfrey herself felt the need to tweet a request for viewers on Sunday night, as the Grammys were airing. "Every 1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have...

Conan Ratings Tanking

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:56:36 CDT

Conan O'Brien is bombing on late-night TV and it's hitting TBS hard in the pocketbook. Viewership of his program has plunged some 60% since its debut last fall. TBS forked out a $12 million annual salary for the funnyman and boasted that Conan was going to be the "building block"...

96.7% of Homes Have TVs, 1st Drop in 20 Years

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 03 May 2011 12:30:09 CDT

The rocky economy and an upswing in Internet viewing contribute to a surprising new statistic: In America, 96.7% of households have a television set—down from 98.9% previously. It's the first such drop in two decades, the New York Times notes. The Nielsen Company, which collected the data,...

Few People Actually Pay for Apps

Nick McMaster — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:51:00 CDT

Apps have captured the popular imagination and made smartphone makers' mouths water with the thought of a new revenue source. But a new survey from Nielsen and the Pew Research Center casts doubt on the size of the current market: Only 13% of adults have ever paid for an app,...

Americans Want 3DTVs —Until They Watch One

Kevin Spak — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:53:49 CDT

American consumers are eager to buy 3DTVs, until they actually try to watch one. In a new Nielsen study, 25% said they were “very likely” to buy a 3DTV in the next year. But after donning the glasses for themselves, that number dropped to just 12%, while the number who...

Leno Ends Ratings Freefall

Harry Kimball — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:30:24 CST

A turning point for Jay Leno? For about two weeks now, episodes of the Leno Show have either held steady in the ratings or improved, reversing a trend that started soon after the program’s debut in September. On the eve of Thanksgiving, for instance, every broadcast program was down—except...

DVRs Aren't Killing TV, They're Saving It

Nick McMaster — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:57:23 CST

A year ago, TV networks were terrified of the DVR. The devices allowed viewers to skip commercials on playback, and who, given the choice, would watch TV commercials? Lots of people, it turns out. TV watching is such an inherently lazy activity that many viewers can’t summon the energy to...

Addicted to Facebook? You're Likely Urban and Affluent

Kevin Spak — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:41:00 CDT

Facebook and Twitter users are more likely to be urban and affluent than the rest of the US population, according to a new Nielsen study, while MySpace aficionados tend to have lower incomes. People in the top third of the income bracket are 25% more likely to use Facebook than...

TV Companies Team Up to Take On Nielsen

Rob Quinn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:37:32 CDT

A group of media companies has joined forces with major advertisers to challenge Nielsen's dominance in TV ratings measurement, the Financial Times reports. The firms involved—including NBC, Time Warner, Disney, and Procter & Gamble—aim to have their rival audience measurement scheme up and running by next month, a...