False ratings an unwanted link in TV profit chain

COMPANIES MEASURING viewing figures have been in cahoots with TV stations and content producers for more than a decade to falsify the ratings of programs. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

According to media reports, the companies that measure viewing figures are supposed to be independent gatherers of data. In reality, domestic companies have earned over 4 billion yuan ($600 million) by manipulating TV ratings over the past 10 years.

Falsifying viewing figures is the result of advertisers demanding the broadcasters guarantee stable viewing figures, which pushes the TV stations to ask the production companies to purchase higher viewing figures. This in turn means the production companies raise the price of each episode of a TV drama and the TV stations raise the prices they charge the advertisers. Thus except for the companies that fake the viewing figures, the entire TV profit chain is the victim of the counterfeiting practice.