TV ratings see double-digit declines for fifth straight month

New York Post ^ | 3/25/2015 | Claire Atkinson

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

February was another heartbreaker for the $65 billion television ad business.

Commercial ratings — the viewing “currency” that determines what advertisers pay for TV time — cratered across broadcast and cable networks, marking the fifth straight month of double-digit declines for the industry.

“It’s clear the downward spiral in TV ratings continues with no end in sight,” media analyst Michael Nathanson wrote in a research note on Friday.

Overall prime-time broadcast network ratings were off 12 percent last month compared to a year ago, while cable networks dropped 11 percent, according to his report.

Nathanson looked at so-called C3 ratings, which come in later than traditional ratings. They measure average commercial viewership in shows up to three days after the original air date via DVR playback.

While a couple of networks that carried the Super Bowl and the Olympics last year clearly suffered because of tougher comparisons, almost every channel was hurting.

Looking at total-day C3 ratings, only three networks boosted their audience: HGTV, Discovery and TBS, while TNT, History and Nickelodeon fell the most.

Typically, TV ad sales executives can increase prices to compensate for a ratings decline, citing scarcity. But Nathanson said seismic changes are pressuring networks to hold the line on pricing.

Although some of the ratings declines can be blamed on changes to Nielsen’s measuring methods, among other changes, “we believe these terrible ratings trends are also indicative of changing viewership habits,” he wrote.

The numbers underscore the rapid changes in how TV viewers are consuming content.

Americans are increasingly watching TV shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming and other services. Some 40 percent of households now have subscription video service, Nielsen reported earlier this week.

Yahoo, Amazon and Hulu are among the bidders for the streaming rights to “Seinfeld” episodes, WSJ.com reported Friday.

[monocle]

Yep! That was MSNBC’s road to success.

[GailA]

Hubby noticed the same thing. We record any show we want to watch and fast forward through the inane commercials for products we’d never use. Snake oil salesmen abound on TV shows.

Only thing that is watched live are NASCAR races and football games.

Record 1 and watch 1 live. That way you can skip the commercials. Just have to know how to time the flipping.

And if it gets to bad I just turn my hearing aids off.

Now that we live nearly an hr away from major shopping, we don’t do that any more. Why should I go to the crime riddled mall that hates CHRISTmas and my gun? I just shop Amazon and order it PRIME, on daughter’s business account, she put us on.

[Adder]

I gotta say I DO like direct TV...they have some annoying habits also but we have generally been pleased with the service they provide, especially the dvr. LOTS of options.

I do carry some movie channels like STARZ because they provide some original programming like Outlander.

It was a day of celebration when I took the box back to Time Warner and told them to stuff it.

[Las Vegas Dave]

Pinging the HDTV ping list. (Special thanks to raybbr for his ping to me.)

HDTV pings!

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LasVegasDave.

[trebb]

They keep acting as promoters for the “new morality” and you can’t watch a show without at least one “token gay” on it. They seem to be either buying into the meme that there are a lot more “alternative sex fans” out there or they are actively pushing it as part of an agenda. The ratings merely mirror the real average Joe who is really tired of it.

[Chickensoup]

overseas calling and texting too?

[bert]

Have you ever watched Justified? It is a very good show.

[Chickensoup]

Bought a tv for the first time in 25 years a year ago.

Found that I use it like a movie screen, not a tv. Have Netflix, and occaionaly an amazon show, and use DVDs that I borrow. (I ony watch things one time) Although there is the ability to watch a few cable local channels and pbs, I have no interest. I watch what I want, on my time without commercials. I get my news from a weather site on the net. I am almost completely unteathered. My TW Internet is my only cost besides Netflix.

Have become a pretty fussy consumer. The show/film has to be interesting, and compelling to sit down and spend time with it.

[central_va]

I am hoping DirectTv and cable will go down in price as more people drop those in favor of other media. Unfortunately that has not happened yet.

[Mad Dawgg]

The Walking Dead ratings is up about a million per EP this season over last.

Maybe if TV show creators actually made shows people want to watch they wouldn't have such a drop in ratings.

[Towed_Jumper]

“They just managed to sneak sodomites into the Walking Dead too!”

Which is why I pulled the plug on the Walking Dead...homos in the Zombie Apocalypse...I'm done with that show.

[DungeonMaster]

They just managed to sneak sodomites into the Walking Dead too!

I knew that was coming. You'd think they'd have necrophilia in that show too.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Sorry to inform you. All those ideas are being used. You must digress further, bestiality and homo-masochism are the hot tickets for next season.

[spudville]

Good move. I cut the cord to TV over 20 years ago. I have a VHS and DVD collection that would take several years to view them all. Netflix lets me pick and choose and reject whatever I want. Who needs broadcast stations!

[SamAdams76]

Using Roku really couldn't be easier. So long as you have an internet connection in your home and a HDMI port on your TV, you are good to go. The Roku replaces the cable box you used to have.

Basically you plug the Roku unit in, power cord to an outlet, HDMI cable to the TV and you are in business. The Roku will automatically recognize your wireless internet connection and prompt you for the password, which you only enter once.

If you don't have wireless internet, just plug the internet cable into the Roku.

[ctdonath2]

Pushing it as an agenda. They can’t create more, so they have to recruit more.

[ctdonath2]

That’s why people don’t consider it TV when using Netflix et al. “TV” is colloquial for “a limited number of channels providing scheduled content filled with ads”. Most who say “I don’t have TV” mean they exclusively use Netflix/DVDs/Amazon/Redbox/iTunes or other on-demand ad-free content.

[ctdonath2]

When you get old enough, you learn that being a few years behind the curve is OK, more convenient, cheaper, and pre-screened (much of the crud has fallen away, leaving a pretty good pile to choose from) - giving you endless entertainment dirt cheap.

[SamAdams76]

That’s why people don’t consider it TV when using Netflix et al. “TV” is colloquial for “a limited number of channels providing scheduled content filled with ads”. Most who say “I don’t have TV” mean they exclusively use Netflix/DVDs/Amazon/Redbox/iTunes or other on-demand ad-free content.

The same shift is happening in radio. Millions of people prefer to subscribe to Sirius/XM in their cars, or they stream Pandora, Spotify or one of the many other streaming options now available.

[DiogenesLamp]

The “open sewer” has just moved to other outlets. People aren’t rejecting trash they’re just getting it from other sources.

The trashy people will always pursue trash, but now at least the rest of us may catch a break from it.