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Originally posted by dreamtrove:
Nielsen is and has been a fraud. It's a delicate system to convince advertisers of the popularity or the unpopularity of something, with a semi-real base, to make it convincing, but like a democracy, easily manipulated to produce the results they want.

Networks destroy things usually for one of three reasons.

1. The reason that most people like to think is content control. This can and does happen. If something is too subversive, the networks will kill it. They are far more interested in controlling content than in making money. But still, this is usually the least likely reason.

2. Money. The networks like to fill their slots with sluts who are cheap, and can be put on screen. As Sam Goldwyn said "Nudity is the cheapest special effect in the business." After that, humor. Producing something like Firefly or T:TSCC costs millions per ep. They might be willing to do that if it was NWO propaganda, but only maybe. If it's counter to their message, and expensive, it's in double jeopardy.

3. The major reason anything ever gets cancelled or renewed is people. People like people they like, and they like dealing with them, and they take out petty vengeance on people who they don't like, who step on their toes, or insult them. If they like you, you'll stick around, if they don't, you're out the door. In general, Murdoch likes Joss, and he like Groenig. If he didn't, he would never run them on his network.

Hopefully, Dollhouse and T:TSCC will make a nice pairing, and make money for the network, that's one more reason not to cancel them.

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Originally posted by whozit:
Also it's the 18-49 demo, that is there fav. If a show is doing great in THAT demo, it stays on the air.

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Originally posted by dreamtrove:
MBL

I used to believe this. But I've been watching. The press does not exist to make money, it exists to broadcast a mesage. Making money is secondary.

Nielsen corruption is old. It has to closely resemble audience, as results have to closely resemble an election. But that doesn't mean they have to be accurate. There are lots of things that they do to kill a show they don't want, scramble episode order, pre-empt it with football, put it opposite something really popular with the same target audience or shove it into a corner. Suspend it for weeks on end. etc. But if all else fails, they can juggle the ratings.

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