The Nielsen Co. has canceled a new rule that drew bad reviews when NBC used it to report combined viewership of two airings of the first episode of “Heroes” this season.
The rule, created in August, allowed a network to report cumulative ratings of a show that re-airs in the same week with the same advertising. The ratings for the individual airings were not reported separately.
Under Nielsen’s revamped policy, ratings for each airing will be reported.
“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,” Nielsen said in a statement. “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.”
Nielsen emphasized that NBC’s actions were completely consistent with Nielsen reporting policy, but that Nielsen’s other clients expressed concern about the policy.
“We do, however, still see the need to explore new reporting options to give clients increased flexibility in how ratings are produced,” Nielsen said. “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.”
(Editor: Horowitz)