SYNDICATION: Syndie Ratings Rhubarb

Some distributors of syndicated TV programming whose shows do not also air on cable are pushing Nielsen Media Research to change its current practice of including syndicated shows' cable viewership in their overall national ratings. The syndicators without cable windows say the practice has enabled some of their competitors to mask ratings losses in broadcast and to unfairly distort their ratings in promotions and ad-sales pitches.

Media buyers who are supporting the without-cable distributors' position say that Nielsen's inclusion of cable viewership in ratings for syndicated shows makes it difficult to determine if commercials are actually attaining the broadcast audience levels they were guaranteed.

An executive of Viacom's King World Productions, whose off-network Everybody Loves Raymond is the top-rated syndie show without cable clearance, called the practice "devious and deceptive," adding that the way Nielsen reports the ratings is a "source of frustration." None of KWP's syndicated shows have cable windows.

The King World exec, who would not speak for attribution, acknowledged that a majority of syndicators would not pressure Nielsen to change methodology because they would have to pay the costs, which are likely to be high.

An executive of News Corp.'s 20th Television syndication unit, which also does not have cable exposure for its syndicated programs, echoed the King World official's comments.

The number of syndicated shows that also have cable clearances has been growing rapidly in the past few years—the current total is 25. Among the programs with sizable cable viewership are Buena Vista's Home Improvement, which for the week of Nov. 18 (the most recent week available) had a 4.5 NTI (overall national) rating and a cable rating of 2.7; Warner Bros.' Friends, with a 9.1 NTI and a 1.2 cable rating, and Will & Grace, 5.2 NTI and 0.7 cable; Sony Pictures Television's Married with Children, 1.3 NTI and 0.7 cable; and Universal's John Edwards, 1.7 NTI and 0.6 cable.

A recent Sony trade ad for Seinfeld has triggered some complaints. The ad proclaimed that Seinfeld's 8.3 rating makes the show "No. 1 and No Signs of Shrinkage." An exec at a competitor claimed that Seinfeld's broadcast metered-market ratings actually declined 7 percent during the same November week that the ad ran.

A Sony executive, who also did not want to be identified, said: "Audience reach in syndication has gone down so much that we need to aggregate numbers to make a living. But no one is getting cheated here."

Tribune Entertainment has nine syndicated shows with cable clearances, including the weeklies Mutant X and Andromeda. "The business model like we once knew it no longer exists," said Dick Askin, Tribune president and CEO. "Double-runs and added cable exposure are now a greater part of the sales process in syndication. Buyers are aware of that."

Nielsen this fall held a meeting with several syndicators to discuss the situation. Since the offended distributors were in the minority, it was decided that no changes would be made, said Jack Loftus, a senior vp of Nielsen, which like Mediaweek is a unit of VNU.

"There has been no overwhelming cry by the membership to break out cable from the national ratings," Loftus said.

The NTI ratings number Nielsen releases for each syndicated program is determined by a complex, weighted formula that includes cable exposure, Loftus said. It is not possible to get a "pure" national broadcast rating by simply subtracting the cable rating from the NTI number, Loftus added.

That's what has some media buyers concerned. "We pay different rates for cable and broadcast spots in syndicated shows, and we need to accurately assess our return on investment," said Lyle Schwartz, vp of research at Mediaedge:cia, who is among the buyers who have contacted Nielsen about the situation. "The TV syndication business today is different than when these rules were put into place. There are so many more hybrid situations."