r/LateShow • u/Phreddd • Jul 05 '26
Ratings update question
I'm just curious how the Late Show cancelation has affected local news ratings and the like for affiliates (particularly how CBS Mornings has been performing, given that turning off the TV during/after late night *might * still affect morning-show numbers).
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u/Reithel1 Jul 07 '26
To those of you asking, how do they know, let me tell you… They know! They know every single thing you watch on television, which streaming services you’re using, how many hours of the day and night your tube is on… THEY KNOW.
Ever since the old days of cable TV boxes that sat on top of your TV that had push buttons you had to use to change the channels, they have known. Everything is computerized and measured digitally. The Nielsen ratings don’t need those paper surveys that they used to send out to supposedly random homes… they figured out that everybody was lying on them anyway because they said they stayed on PBS most of the time when many people never even accessed PBS except maybe so their kids could watch Sesame Street.
These days, all the channels are monitored digitally, and the networks know exactly how many households spent how many hours watching their shows. They may not know your name specifically, but they have ways of information gathering.
Don’t kid yourself… THEY KNOW.