OK SO... My home was chosen by Neilson to do raitings this week. I have to record what I do the old fashioned way...in a freakin Journal. Then mail it... and that is how raitings are still done. So I got thinking...can't we do this through cable boxes? send ANON data to the cable company or directly to Neilson or our cable companies on a secure line the box is connected to? It Baffles me that in this internet age THIS is how raitings are still gathered. Thoughts? Ever had to do raitings? They don't do it in your country?
Here in Australia, I'm pretty sure that it's a proprietary set top box that decodes digital free-to-air signals, but also connects to the phone to dial home and relay the statistics. Also, I think there is some sort of monetary compensation for this, eg. a $30 grocery voucher every month. It is not compulsory, if you are chosen for the opportunity then you can decline. Am I right in thinking that it's compulsory for you to do it? What's to stop you just writing down anything at the end of the week and posting it off? EDIT: removed quote
See that's the point, you can skew the the ratings any way you want them by writing them down. I know I only wrote down what I watch all the time. Not everything I watch.
The cable companies can and do monitor what you watch (on a company by company basis), but they do it so that they can market to you with advertising.
In the UK its done with a seperate remote controlled box that you have to inut the amount of people in the room etc when your watching something. Ratings are a pretty terrible way of surveying as there are very few people who take part and then theres only a certain sort of person who volunteers for something like that.
