Nielsen Problems Delay Ratings Release

A Nielsen snafu in measuring viewers for The Weather Channel and Fuse has resulted in the delay of some cable ratings, including the scheduled release of third-quarter numbers set for Tuesday.

Nielsen apologized for “recent errors in our Cable Dailies processing” for Saturday through Monday in a client memo Tuesday. As a result, the ratings firm said its audience estimates for Saturday, Sept. 27, won’t be available until the end of today, Tuesday.

Also, the processing of cable ratings for Sunday, which Nielsen considers the last day of the second quarter, won’t be complete until Tuesday evening, according to the audience-measurement company. That means that third-quarter cable data, which was expected to be released today, now has to be delayed to until at least Wednesday.

Nielsen, which couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday, told clients that it had “rectified” its problems and was processing data.

In its client memo, Nielsen said that its program-audience estimates for The Weather Channel were incorrect for last Wednesday, and that its program-audience estimates for Fuse were incorrect for Friday. But that audience information for both networks was being re-processed for re-release, Nielsen said.