Note on TV Ratings in Canada

As I said, I care about the numbers. Whether we want it or not, they are the driving force in Television everywhere in the world. Most of the time, they are the reason why shows stay and go. Nevertheless, like all things nowadays, this need not to be that way. There are tremendous issues that arise when the fate of a show lies uniquely on what numbers show.
Think about it this way: BBM Canada, a subsidiary of Nielsen Media Research, is the only organization in charge of measuring audience numbers in Canada. BBM decides who stays and who goes in the TV game. The accuracy of BBM's data is also doubtful, and the way presented to the general public, although it has a huge impact on the TV system, is rather irrelevant. Because of the influence of U.S. television, we are used to seeing stories about the tens of millions of people that tuned in to watch a season finale or the final results of a reality show. The issue is as follows: There are no tens of millions of people in Canada! In fact, last week's most watched show at a national level scored a remarkable–but extremely low in comparison–3 million viewer mark!
If the fate of a television show depends upon these numbers, why is BBM so concerned with showing the low number of viewers in Canada rather than the percentage share or ratings?
Do you still want to keep on reading? I found this very insightful look at the state of ratings in Canada, by a frustrated TV producer.

Cheers!