Super Bowl Ratings Rise Again, Falsely

For the third year in a row the Super Bowl has broke the most watched show in history. Most people are crediting more people getting interested in the Super Bowl, and that would be great if it were true, but TV ratings systems are flawed and misleading. The reason the ratings are so high is because more people are staying home.

If four families go to one house and watch the game, then it only counts as one rating point.
If four families stay home and watch the game, then it counts as four rating points.

Also when people get together at a house, usually one TV is turned on, the one in the Living Room. When people stay home, the TV in the living room, the bed room, and the kid’s room is turned on. In this case, with more TVs having to have their own cable box, this would count as three TVs per house. Also, NBC streamed the game online and on smart phones for free which also goes into rating points if turned on. So we will be conservative and estimate two rating points per house, due to not every TV or Computer would be on in every house. With those families staying home they added eight ratings points instead of the one or two they would have got for going to a Super Bowl party.

There are a few reasons people stayed home this year.
1. People don’t want to spend the money, or don’t have the money.
2. People don’t want to drink and drive.
3. People are sick of watching the Super Bowl with non football fans (my reason).
4. It’s on too late on the East coast.
5. People are becoming anti-social (thank you Facebook and iPhones).

There is one more reason for the spike, comic book nerds. I know at least five people that turned the game on, sadly, just to watch the Avengers Trailer.

If you want to believe that more and more people are getting into football, then great. I for one would love it if I knew anyone that watched a full game of football that wasn’t over 40.

This information is from my surroundings, readings off forums and blogs, and talking to family (in Ohio) and friends. Now I do live in Orlando, and I will tell you, there were not many people driving home after the game.

Let me know: Did you got to a party or did you just stay home this year?