matthew
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Game of thrones
- Thread starter matthew
- Start date
seagullsovergrimsby
#cpfctinpotclub
Series 3 and 4 have already been given the go ahead. I hope the ratings are high enough for Series 5 to be commissioned otherwise it could end up being cancelled before getting to book 4.
HastingsSeagull
Well-known member
Been looking forward to this 
Jack Daniels
New member
cant wait
I can't wait, its going to be brilliant.
Assuming they've stuck closely to the source material, they won't go far wrong. All of the previews I've seen look spot on in terms of casting and production, so I have high hopes. This is helped by the fact that this series is the debut of my favourite character of the whole lot.
Assuming they've stuck closely to the source material, they won't go far wrong. All of the previews I've seen look spot on in terms of casting and production, so I have high hopes. This is helped by the fact that this series is the debut of my favourite character of the whole lot.
Probably not.
Jack Daniels
New member
The ratings are already pretty low. It should not be much of a concern for this. It has less veiwers than The Event finnished on when that was cancelled. They knew when they made it, it would not have massive rating but made it for a neich market. Should get through to natrual conclusion. The end of Storm of Swords is my bet. Hope it goes further though.
The ratings are good for HBO, and importantly it was adding viewers during it's run. The event was on one of the big networks and while it started well lost lots of viewers through the series.
seagullsovergrimsby
#cpfctinpotclub
Of course , its a HBO series
It will probably include the obligatory cock/blokes arse shot as well to remain impartial.
Lyndhurst 14
Well-known member
- Jan 16, 2008
- 5,237
Starts tonight on HBO - looks good. HBO need another hit in the States as their last new series "Luck" with Dustin Hoffman bombed.
SULLY COULDNT SHOOT
Loyal2Family+Albion!
Talking of ratings... the last two eps of Alcatraz got low ratings and there are suggestions that will also be cancelled.
GOT - superior TV!
GOT - superior TV!
Marxo
Well-known member
Ratings in the USA are not straightforward, it's not all about the most viewers. Here is a very interesting article, it's from 2010:
Television has been dying for a few years now. I’m sure everyone reading this has had a favourite TV show cancelled. Let’s look at the list. Boston Legal, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, The Unusuals, The Unit, Without A Trace, Reaper, Everybody Hates Chris, King Of The Hill, MADtv, Prison Break, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, ER, Life, My Name Is Earl. That’s just last year. Why do these shows get cancelled? Well, nobody is watching apparently. That’s what the networks keep telling us. How do they know? Why, ratings, of course. How do these ratings work? Why am I asking so many questions?
According to Wikipedia, Arthur Nielsen was a market analyst who in 1950 developed a ratings system for television based on the same system he and his company had invented for radio programming in the 1930s. This is basically the same system used today.
Nielsen ratings are a gathered in two ways. Firstly, through “diaries” in which a target audience self-records its viewing habits. Secondly, through Set Meters, which are small devices connected to televisions in selected homes. These devices send the viewing habits of a television directly to the Nielsen company through a phone line. Wow, science-fiction come real! Now here is where the whole thing falls apart. Firstly, this system is only in America, which I don’t mind because the bulk of shows we watch are from America and those guys only make them for themselves. The fact that we watch them is an afterthought for them.

A prototypical Nielsen family?
Secondly, There are only 25,000 households that participate in this ratings system. As of 2009, there are 114,500,000 households in America. Who knows math? Yep, that means only 0.02183% of the population of America has a say in what we watch. Also, you know when you hear about a show getting a 3.4 share in the ratings? Here is the explanation. 1 point equals 1 percent of the households participating in this ratings system. There’s 114,500,000 households in America with TVs, so 1 share point represents 1,450,000 people watching said program.
Ever heard the phrase “sweeps”? This is when all the diaries and data are collected over a month long period. This is done four times a year in March, May, July, and November. This extra data shows what shows are being watched more than others and therefore, advertisers know where to put their ads, and it help the stations figure prices. If Two and a Half Men has twice as many viewers than Better Off Ted, then the station can charge twice as much for advertising air time for the limited amount during Two and a Half Men, and Better Off Ted can get cancelled to make room for another show that will attract more viewers. Advertising companies , who really pay for the shows we watch, will only pay for time in which their commercials will be watched. They use this Nielsen system as a way to know when who is watching what. Am I going too fast for ya?
Onto demographics. The public are divided up into age categories by the ratings system. The advertisers like some demographics more than others. In fact, advertisers like the 18-49 age demographic. For some reason, they think this age group spends more on the products they advertise, or are more susceptible to commercials. Probably because we do and we are. But here’s the kicker. Baby-boomers are now well into their 60s and there are more of them, they have more money, and they spend more money. They also watch more television when it’s on TV, so they actually see the ads. But because the advertisers aim for this 18-49 demographic, the networks can charge $419,000 for a commercial during Grey’s Anatomy, but only $248,000 for one during CSI, which has five million more viewers, but in the older demographic.
Now, this ratings system has problems. They don’t have enough of a market sample to really give an accurate depiction of what people are actually watching. Big television events of the year (Super Bowl, Daytona, Grammys, Oscars) have all been moved to sweeps periods to gain more advertising dollars, so the data is changed to purposefully not reflect regular viewing habits. In fact, most shows have been moved to fit in with the sweeps period. Remember the last couple of years since the writer’s strike how the biggest shows now give us 6 episodes in October and November and then they go off the air for 3 months and then miraculously all come back around February and March. That’s the time they make them money. These shows aren’t cheap to make. Why waste money for episodes that aren’t making them the bonus dollars that sweeps pulls in? Maybe because advertisers will figure this out soon and stop throwing money at shows that might not be there when they want their products shown.
Television has been dying for a few years now. I’m sure everyone reading this has had a favourite TV show cancelled. Let’s look at the list. Boston Legal, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, The Unusuals, The Unit, Without A Trace, Reaper, Everybody Hates Chris, King Of The Hill, MADtv, Prison Break, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, ER, Life, My Name Is Earl. That’s just last year. Why do these shows get cancelled? Well, nobody is watching apparently. That’s what the networks keep telling us. How do they know? Why, ratings, of course. How do these ratings work? Why am I asking so many questions?
According to Wikipedia, Arthur Nielsen was a market analyst who in 1950 developed a ratings system for television based on the same system he and his company had invented for radio programming in the 1930s. This is basically the same system used today.
Nielsen ratings are a gathered in two ways. Firstly, through “diaries” in which a target audience self-records its viewing habits. Secondly, through Set Meters, which are small devices connected to televisions in selected homes. These devices send the viewing habits of a television directly to the Nielsen company through a phone line. Wow, science-fiction come real! Now here is where the whole thing falls apart. Firstly, this system is only in America, which I don’t mind because the bulk of shows we watch are from America and those guys only make them for themselves. The fact that we watch them is an afterthought for them.

A prototypical Nielsen family?
Secondly, There are only 25,000 households that participate in this ratings system. As of 2009, there are 114,500,000 households in America. Who knows math? Yep, that means only 0.02183% of the population of America has a say in what we watch. Also, you know when you hear about a show getting a 3.4 share in the ratings? Here is the explanation. 1 point equals 1 percent of the households participating in this ratings system. There’s 114,500,000 households in America with TVs, so 1 share point represents 1,450,000 people watching said program.
Ever heard the phrase “sweeps”? This is when all the diaries and data are collected over a month long period. This is done four times a year in March, May, July, and November. This extra data shows what shows are being watched more than others and therefore, advertisers know where to put their ads, and it help the stations figure prices. If Two and a Half Men has twice as many viewers than Better Off Ted, then the station can charge twice as much for advertising air time for the limited amount during Two and a Half Men, and Better Off Ted can get cancelled to make room for another show that will attract more viewers. Advertising companies , who really pay for the shows we watch, will only pay for time in which their commercials will be watched. They use this Nielsen system as a way to know when who is watching what. Am I going too fast for ya?
Onto demographics. The public are divided up into age categories by the ratings system. The advertisers like some demographics more than others. In fact, advertisers like the 18-49 age demographic. For some reason, they think this age group spends more on the products they advertise, or are more susceptible to commercials. Probably because we do and we are. But here’s the kicker. Baby-boomers are now well into their 60s and there are more of them, they have more money, and they spend more money. They also watch more television when it’s on TV, so they actually see the ads. But because the advertisers aim for this 18-49 demographic, the networks can charge $419,000 for a commercial during Grey’s Anatomy, but only $248,000 for one during CSI, which has five million more viewers, but in the older demographic.
Now, this ratings system has problems. They don’t have enough of a market sample to really give an accurate depiction of what people are actually watching. Big television events of the year (Super Bowl, Daytona, Grammys, Oscars) have all been moved to sweeps periods to gain more advertising dollars, so the data is changed to purposefully not reflect regular viewing habits. In fact, most shows have been moved to fit in with the sweeps period. Remember the last couple of years since the writer’s strike how the biggest shows now give us 6 episodes in October and November and then they go off the air for 3 months and then miraculously all come back around February and March. That’s the time they make them money. These shows aren’t cheap to make. Why waste money for episodes that aren’t making them the bonus dollars that sweeps pulls in? Maybe because advertisers will figure this out soon and stop throwing money at shows that might not be there when they want their products shown.
Silent Bob
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
- Dec 6, 2004
- 22,172
As others have said the ratings aren't actually bad, but also HBO have learned ratings aren't the be all and end all. They cancelled Rome and Deadwood early but regretted it due to the popularity of those series on DVD, and they had The Wire which had really really low ratings for virtually it's whole time on HBO but became a huge success towards and after its end.
Plus, they are a subscription channel, as long as enough people are subscribing and buying DVDs they can kind of do what they like.
But having said all that I wouldn't be too surprised if it did end after Storm Of Swords, that would be two more series most likely and if they're not going to get all the way to the end (which would probably take loads of series with the size of the books, and assuming the series even gets finished) that is the most natural ending point.
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