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Nielsen and Twitter Combine Efforts for Social Media TV Ratings

The new metric for measuring popularity of TV shows will focus on Twitter conversation rather than the traditional Nielsen box.

The Nielsen system for judging the reach and popularity of television shows is something that's always been debatable, and the advent of things like the DVR and streaming video has brought the system into question even further. The company has a new method to help them determine a show's sway, and that is Twitter.

"Twitter has become the world's digital water cooler, where conversations about TV happen in real time," says Twitter's Chloe Sladden. "This effort reflects Nielsen's foresight into the evolving nature of the TV viewing experience."

The Twitter rating will take into account all of the conversations being had about the show using the social media site. Presumably, this will only include mentions of the title of the show and not characters and other aspects. It's imperfect of course, because the makeup of the Twitter audience is different from the broader US TV audience and because it specifically targets people that use one piece of social media, but the number should prove interesting, especially when compared to Nielsen's established rating system.

Source: Engadget

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