How To Measure Ghosts

Culture industries - TV, Film, Games, Music, Radio, Books and more - are defined by one thing - metrics. But who decides what metrics to use? Join me as I trace the odd, hidden histories of the way we measure audiences.

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And their main takeaways

The long, slow death of the TV schedule

117 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Media Streaming TV Broadcasting Digital
  1. Linear scheduled TV viewing is declining, with younger audiences preferring streaming over traditional TV channels.
  2. Traditional TV business models are facing challenges and potential changes, like rebundling and collaborations among broadcasters.
  3. PSBs are adapting to the shift towards streaming by implementing new services, like Freely, to maintain relevance and audience attention.

Introducing Mr X

19 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture History Television Entertainment Media Pop culture
  1. The appearance of The Beatles and Arthur C Nielsen Jr. on TV on the same night marked a significant moment in television history.
  2. Arthur C Nielsen Jr.'s influence as the President of the Nielsen Service was substantial, impacting television ratings and advertising decisions with a small sample size of 'Nielsen families'.
  3. The emergence of television as a dominant medium led to the critical need for metrics like TV ratings, which shaped programming, advertising, and the business of television in the 20th century.