# Does viewing a TV show sometime after its scheduled release affect the ratings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438 "2026-05-27T21:30:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438/1 "2026-05-27T21:30:22Z")
Let’s say a program is scheduled for airing at 8pm on a Tuesday, but people delay watching it until later. Does this effect the initial ratings? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438/2 "2026-05-27T21:46:02Z")
There’s a whole bunch of different tracking mechanisms now, but the main is Live+3 and Live+7, which is basically the live airing plus 3/7 days. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438/3 "2026-05-28T01:54:31Z")
In fact, here’s a story on how Colbert’s ratings for his final **Late Show** broadcast improved in the Live+3 ratings. > **[Colbert’s 'Late Show' Finale Jumps 35% in Delayed Viewing to 9.1 Million -...](https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/colbert-late-show-finale-ratings/)** > > First on LateNighter: Stephen Colbert left CBS late night Thursday night, but viewers kept watching his 'Late Show' finale. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438/4 "2026-05-29T02:57:53Z")
Is this still true in the streaming age or are we strictly talking old-school network TV? I mean, I may not get around to watching a show until a while after it’s released. Certainly I’m not bingeing an entire season in a week for shows that release all at once, at any rate. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438/5 "2026-05-29T03:58:58Z")
I don’t think streaming services like Netflix _need_ ratings services like Nielsen. They know exactly how many people watch their shows. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438/6 "2026-05-29T04:07:47Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Is this still true in the streaming age or are we strictly talking old-school network TV? As noted, Nielsen ratings only cover “scheduled” programming: the old-school over-the-air TV networks, as well as cable networks (though they do now tabulate delayed viewing of programs which have been recorded on those networks). Nielsen does not cover nor provide ratings numbers for streaming services, which each maintain their own statistics on streaming viewership, and which are often not released publicly, AIUI. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-viewing-a-tv-show-sometime-after-its-scheduled-release-affect-the-ratings/1030438/7 "2026-05-29T13:31:50Z")
Not according to here: [Nielsen Top 10 | Streaming, TV, Advertising, Game Ratings](https://www.nielsen.com/data-center/top-ten/) > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t think streaming services like Netflix _need_ ratings services like Nielsen. They know exactly how many people watch their shows. Sure, but they don’t know how many people are watching other shows on other services, which is something I’m sure they’d like to know.