FBN & The Ratings

A Fox Business Network spokesperson tells TVNewser it will be about 6-9 months before FBN has ratings data to release publicly. FBN will start getting internal ratings data in about two months. After that, the network will move into what Nielsen calls the “fledgling subscription” stage. At this point, as Nielsen explains it, if “networks are comfortable with the quality,” accuracy and measurement of the data they are free to use it “both internally and externally.” In fact, Nielsen prohibits the public release of the data before this stage.

The Fox spokesperson tells me most new cable channels are not rated at launch. FNC was not rated by Nielsen until April of 1997, six months after it took to the air.

>More: Earlier this month I stopped adding CNBC’s Total Day and Primetime average ratings to The Scoreboard (which did not include a break down of show ratings). When I start getting ratings information on FBN, I’ll decide how to incorporate both networks on The Scoreboard.

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