TV’s Brave New (On Demand) World

“Given the sheer number of on-demand options consumers will have at their fingertips in a couple of months — let alone a couple of years from now — maybe the Nielsen ratings for prime-time television just don’t matter anymore. Well, don’t weep for Nielsen Media Research just yet. Ratings do matter, and will continue to matter for some time, for the same reason that domestic box-office numbers matter to Hollywood movie executives.”