Whether you are a fan of one TV show or many, in the middle of May 2011 there was a pretty good chance that something you enjoyed watching was cancelled.  Across the major networks, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS, there were a total of 31 shows which were not renewed.  I didn’t watch more TV then I did the previous year, but this was both noticeably high and included a number of shows I had watched.  Several of which I really enjoyed, those included: Outsourced, Breaking In, and The Chicago Code.  Others which I liked and were good to pass the time with were: No Ordinary Family, The Good Guys, The Event, Lie to Me, and Off the Map.  You can’t help but think, why bother getting interested in a new show because if this is the start of a trend, a show will be lucky to make it through one season.

None of these were truly bad shows, so I started thinking there has to be some underlying reason as to why so many were cut.  After doing a little bit of searching online, I believe the problem lies with the rating system that is used.  It seems that the network executives only take into account those viewers who are tuned into the live, first run of the episode.  If this is the case they need to update the metric to include the wide variety of outlets which the show can be viewed, such as On Demand, Hulu.com, and Xfinity.com.  Now, as people are both busier and have access to the show in multiple locations, they watch it when it is convenient for them instead of the specified time block.  It seems that the rating system is falling behind because it has not changed in the same way as the viewing technology has.  This causes the ratings to show fewer viewers than there actually are, giving the false report that the show is failing when it actually is not.  Ultimately, leaving the viewer disappointed when the show is cancelled.

This calls for an updated version of the ratings system for TV shows.  Whether you watch the first run, On Demand, or online, all of these methods now have some sort of commercial or advertising involved which earns money for the networks.  That means that they all should have some bearing on the overall approval rating, which would yield a more accurate representation of what constitutes a successful show.  While the initial run is a good gauge on the loyal audience, there are those loyal fans who rely on other means, I speak as one of them.

A more effective method would be to total the number of times the show was watched during the week long period in the various ways after the initial time slot.  Since some people watch encore showings, it would also be more accurate to have a weighting system depending on the time at which the show is watched.  I think that within the first 48 hours after the initial showing there would not be too much repeat views, so all the views could be added together during this period.  In the remaining 5 days of the rating period, a percentage of the number of daily views should be counted.  This percentage would be decreased by 20% each day, resulting in the following pattern:

• Initial Showing, 100% of Views Counted
• IS + 1 day, 100% of Views Counted
• IS + 2days, 100% of Views Counted
• IS + 3days, 80% of Views Counted
• IS + 4days, 60% of Views Counted
• IS + 5days, 40% of Views Counted
• IS + 6days, 20% of Views Counted

This will ensure that those who watch the show, regardless of where, are counted in the total viewers tally.  This will provide a more accurate picture into the viewership and will minimize unnecessary cancellations of otherwise good shows.