Technically, watching the program does not register in the ratings. The magic ratings boxes are not actually installed in every TV sold. They take a group of random houses representing a cross section of the community and ask them to take part, and them multiply this randomly until they have a figure approaching what they assume to be an accurate proportion of the population. At least, AFAIK.
So the only real way to push the ratings up (short of getting into the ratings sample yourself) is to be part of a demographic who is statistically likely to watch it anyway, which I'm doing already. So by being part of the demographic who's eager enough to watch it that he goes out of his way to download it in advance, Alex is more than doing his bit.
This is why we are starting to see music charts based on (legal) music downloads. The companies have realised they are missing out on the non-mainstream teenager who doesn't buy singles from HMV.
Put it this way. If the distribution model allowed me to pre-order the next season of Farscape (say give them my CC details and they will charge me when its released) how much quicker would the descision to make the next season be made?
I don't think preorders would ever replace broadcast figures for that kind of decision (especially as executives would argue that people who preorder SF TV shows are very much a niche market and not indicative of the viewing public as a whole - yes, even SciFi Channel executives use this reasoning).
But yeah, it might give them a certain amount of encouragement.
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Re: Yay!
Date: 2004-10-13 03:38 am (UTC)So the only real way to push the ratings up (short of getting into the ratings sample yourself) is to be part of a demographic who is statistically likely to watch it anyway, which I'm doing already. So by being part of the demographic who's eager enough to watch it that he goes out of his way to download it in advance, Alex is more than doing his bit.
Or something.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2004-10-13 03:46 am (UTC)This is why we are starting to see music charts based on (legal) music downloads. The companies have realised they are missing out on the non-mainstream teenager who doesn't buy singles from HMV.
Put it this way. If the distribution model allowed me to pre-order the next season of Farscape (say give them my CC details and they will charge me when its released) how much quicker would the descision to make the next season be made?
Re: Yay!
Date: 2004-10-13 03:54 am (UTC)But yeah, it might give them a certain amount of encouragement.