Yup, I think we all kinda new that didn’t we? I do not watch any of the top 10.

 

BBM.ca for Canadian ratings

 

aparently this site is members only. You need a code from station manager?

 

thx Hugh,

In the US ratings, I haven't even heard of 3 in the top 10, much less ever watched. I have to move down to to the 10 to 20 ranges to find something I never heard of in the Canadian version, for the same week. Do they count the cable only channels in the Canadian version?

 

If every one, including those that subscribe to cable and satellite take a serious look at all the prograns that they are watching, they would notice that most of these programs are coming from the major networks.

If you add the US networks to our own, it is possible to watch almost everything that is top rated. One example of this is the Daily Show and The Colbert Report that are cable programming in the US but broadcasted on OTA over here in Canada. So, unless someone is glued 24 Hrs a day on the tube, OTA is the best way to go.

Nice evening.

 

The ONLY ONE of the top 100 I have seen even a little of is The Office 'cos it is now on City-TV just before the weekend 6pm news and sometimes the TV is turned on a few minutes early.

I went to BBM.ca and looked at their top 30 in Canada. I have not watched any of them. My first thought after I saw the list, was why do we bother with Canadian content regulation as there doesn't seem to be any apart from hockey.


FWIW I was brought up with just two channels of BBc and one commercial TV channel. I guess that warped my mind.

 

Where are the HBO shows? Some of them should definitely be on that list based on the number of viewers/share they get..

 

@tczernec, I presume this footnote excludes HBO-type channels:

Ad-Supported Subscription television only

 

I find it interesting that the US ratings exclude services like HBO, Showtime and all other non-commercial specialty networks. I could not find anything about PBS when I searched on the site. The ratings are compiled for companies and agencies placing advertising so the exclusion of non-commercial television is not a surprise but it means that the ratings may not accurately reflect actual program viewing. Pay networks like HBO and Showtime have developed excellent series and carry sports programming that is not included in the ratings.

The most recent Canadian ratings for June 6 to 12 are completely dominated by NHL hockey so the week is a distortion of regular viewing patterns. CBC carries the most Canadian shows so the hockey coverage displaced them and moved CBC's focus to hockey and away from drama. I looked at mid February to get away from hockey playoffs and found the first show that I regularly watch was number 15, CTV News. I only watch 5 of the 30 shows on a more or less regular basis. Rick Mercer was the only Canadian show other than news.

I don't think that top ratings is the appropriate yardstick for measuring a household's demand for cable and satellite television. News, business, sport and movie services all have major followings because of the total program content on the channel rather than the ratings of an individual show. Canadians watch hockey that is only available OTA on Saturday but the rest of the week is full of games on TSN, Sportsnet, etc. There are channels aimed at all demographics and interest groups which don't have top 100 shows but do have loyal followings.

The top rated shows are not the determining factor for taking a BDU service in most households rather it is access to specialized programming that caters to the tastes of the people who live there.

 

I find it interesting that the US ratings exclude services like HBO, Showtime and all other non-commercial specialty networks.

I don't. The whole purpose for ratings is for the advertisers to decide how much they're willing to pay broadcasters to advertise on their network.
If they don't sell advertisement, there's no point in including the non-advertising subscription services.

Honestly though, they are so watered down / repetitive these days, I don't think it'd make any difference whatsoever. It's not like 20 or 30 years ago when HBO was a "must have". If there were only ONE HBO and not 1/2 a dozen or more, it might be different. I don't think I've watched a complete show, movie or program on HBO in twenty years, 'cause by the time a real movie hits those networks, it's been stale for at least 6 months. If there's a Canadian HBO, maybe it's better like it used to be here 20 years ago?? I dunno. All I know is the one down here is bad.

 

I don't think so, maybe for more advanced features? You can download a .PDf for each week, going back X amount of weeks in the current season
by clickin on the left hand side "weekly top 30 TV programs"

 

You are correct MT got it now.

 

Apparently 94% the top 30 Canadian shows are not Canadian.

 

HBO and their ilk aren't really for movies IME, they're for the excellent original series!

 

HBO and their ilk aren't really for movies IME, they're for the excellent original series!

Totally agree. I couldn't care less about the movies, but the series are generally of much higher caliber than what's on non-specialty TV. Shows like the Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and Game of Thrones are prime examples. Sure, they might come over a few seasons later to broadcast/cable, but who can wait that long?

It's a real shame that you can't get HBO (at least in a legal way) without forking out for basic cable plus a movie package that includes HBO, taking your bill to a MINIMUM of $60/month, quite a lot for an OTA'er.. There's no way to pay for just HBO-on-demand without a full subscription to the channel or to buy individual episodes. And they wonder why people download illegally.. I don't condone illegal downloading, but if faced with no other viable options, that's what it ultimately comes down to for a lot of people

Tom

 

I have rented HBO series on DVD.

 

Yeah, you can't just dismiss HBO and Showtime. Love 'em or hate 'em there is no denying the critical acclaim and popularity of current shows like Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dexter, True Blood, Entourage, etc., and the the many other hit shows, mini-series and exclusive made for premium TV movies of recent years from the both of them (there are so many). Most critics' "best shows of the year" are most years found on HBO or Showtime.

 

I see a lot of missing shows on specialty networks like USA and FX. These channels do air commercials but their popular dramas are missing.

Another, slightly OT, observation is that there seems to be little correlation between ratings and shows that were kept or cancelled. Fringe (96/1.2)is quite low on the list, far below some cancelled shows. Blue Bloods (75/1.5) remains while Chicago Code (73/1.6), L&A:LA (84/1.4) and Criminal Minds:SB (43/2.2) are gone (all similar shows with similar or higher ratings.)

 

Another consideration is that some of the shows that premiere on cable channels often show up later in syndication on broadcast channels. So the show may be aired but one might have to wait a year or more to see the episodes.