From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

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Television ratings

Television ratings

From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

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Television ratings

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- [Instructor] The Nielsen ratings. For decades, these were the numbers that were used to report which television programs were the most watched. The detailed ratings provided by Nielsen were vital for organizations seeking to advertise their products via commercials. How did Nielsen calculate their ratings? They used statistics. Rather than asking everyone what they watched on TV last night, the Nielsen organization took a sample. They picked out a few homes to represent each demographic that might be of interest to advertisers. Each home chosen by Nielsen would get a special box called a set meter. The box would keep a log of every program watched, every minute of every day. Perhaps your home represented white females, 25-35, that made over 60,000 per year in a northeast city. This one person could represent thousands of people in that demographic. If she watches your favorite program, the program has a better chance of continuing. If she chooses not to watch the program, or maybe…

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