Live Broadcasting: The Hunger for Real-Time Ratings

In the TV world, the pressure of a live broadcast must keep some industry heads awake at night. Things they might ask themselves could include; “How do we know if audiences are enjoying the live content?” “Have we sold the right amount of commercials/advertising spots?” and “How many people are actually watching this right now?” It’s no question – TV execs want ratings, and they want them NOW. Currently, audience measurement services (the currency, such as Nielsen and BARB) measure live TV viewing albeit with a sample, but only offer up these ratings the next day.