Post by darksea on Nov 8, 2011 12:47:00 GMT -5
Ok, I've been trying to find a way to explain this so that it doesn't sound like 1st grade, but at the same time, takes the math ick out of it.
So, let's do it this way.
Jack has 11 million oranges.
Jill has 10 million oranges.
2.5 % of Jack's oranges are sold. (275,000)
3.0% of Jill's oranges are sold. (300,000)
Jill has more oranges that are sold, but Jack has more oranges. and Jack is close on her heels in the selling department.
Now apply that to the ratings, as your overall viewers go down, your number of 'sold' will start going down.
If you have a 3.0 demographic of 8 million viewers, that just means that you have 240,000 of those viewers are between 18 and 49 years of age, as the total viewers go down, the demographic can actually go up, because of die hard stubborn 18-49 year olds who stay, but others have left. You can have a 3.0 of 1 million people. Mathematically it still isn't pretty.
What a lot of people don't get is the fact that the demographic is important -- for selling commercials. That's pretty much it. The whole ratings scheme is aimed at selling commercials. But because they do count total viewers when commercials are involved, that statistic is used for other things, such as determining who is actually watching the show.
You don't want ANY of the numbers going down. If the demographic goes down, but the total viewers go up, then there is a warning signal that goes off about having to focus it more to the 18-49 group.
If the viewers go down and the demographic remains the same or goes up, then a warning signal goes off about total preservation efforts, and finding out why people are jumping ship.
If the share goes up or down, and the other two numbers don't budge, then they find out what is causing those numbers to slide.
Anybody who thinks that the demographic is the only number that means anything needs mental help. It is not the only number. It's not the most important number, because they ALL are. When just one number takes a tumble, that is an indicator of the weakness in a show. That is why all these other places keep logging the total viewers, and producing pretty graphs and tables with the percentage drop since the premiere, and comparing the numbers to last year.
Another number that is going to start rearing its head is the comparison rate, where they compare the progress of the show this time last year to the progress now, and the progress of the lowest rating numbers from last year, to what is the average now.
So, let's do it this way.
Jack has 11 million oranges.
Jill has 10 million oranges.
2.5 % of Jack's oranges are sold. (275,000)
3.0% of Jill's oranges are sold. (300,000)
Jill has more oranges that are sold, but Jack has more oranges. and Jack is close on her heels in the selling department.
Now apply that to the ratings, as your overall viewers go down, your number of 'sold' will start going down.
If you have a 3.0 demographic of 8 million viewers, that just means that you have 240,000 of those viewers are between 18 and 49 years of age, as the total viewers go down, the demographic can actually go up, because of die hard stubborn 18-49 year olds who stay, but others have left. You can have a 3.0 of 1 million people. Mathematically it still isn't pretty.
What a lot of people don't get is the fact that the demographic is important -- for selling commercials. That's pretty much it. The whole ratings scheme is aimed at selling commercials. But because they do count total viewers when commercials are involved, that statistic is used for other things, such as determining who is actually watching the show.
You don't want ANY of the numbers going down. If the demographic goes down, but the total viewers go up, then there is a warning signal that goes off about having to focus it more to the 18-49 group.
If the viewers go down and the demographic remains the same or goes up, then a warning signal goes off about total preservation efforts, and finding out why people are jumping ship.
If the share goes up or down, and the other two numbers don't budge, then they find out what is causing those numbers to slide.
Anybody who thinks that the demographic is the only number that means anything needs mental help. It is not the only number. It's not the most important number, because they ALL are. When just one number takes a tumble, that is an indicator of the weakness in a show. That is why all these other places keep logging the total viewers, and producing pretty graphs and tables with the percentage drop since the premiere, and comparing the numbers to last year.
Another number that is going to start rearing its head is the comparison rate, where they compare the progress of the show this time last year to the progress now, and the progress of the lowest rating numbers from last year, to what is the average now.
