Life Without Nielsen: How Top Shows Fared for Advertisers During Ratings Blackout

The industry got a dose of a world without Nielsen TV ratings this week -- to the amusement and bemusement of many.

With Nielsen on the lamb this week due to a power outage, here are some insight snacks about a few programs to calm info-starved TV and advertising nerds just dying to know who was reached. Using iSpot.tv, the real-time TV advertising measurement and attention analytics company, we can get a very clear picture on the age, gender and attention of audiences.

You’ll notice how the The Bachelor leveraged the long form primetime blocks for more ad eyeballs and dollars. That This is Us skews younger and more female, and things like Rachel Maddow’s tax exclusive kept people from changing the dial. And thanks to Canvs.tv, the emotional analytics platform, we can also gain a view of the emotional charge these finales generated for each network. That data is generated from Nielsen’s social guide data.

Related: Nielsen Says Millennials Are Big-Time Streamers

The Bachelor
During the three hour season finale of The Bachelor, 67 brands ran 87 spots 111 times, generating 391.5 million TV ad impressions.

These ads reached more females than males (56.95% v. 43.05%), with the 35-54 age demo accounting for the bulk of these views (36.47%).



The average view rate for ads during this program was: 89.56%

Since the outage on Sunday, The Bachelor has generated more than 88% of all emotionally charged tweets referencing ABC programming (according to Canvs, the emotion analytics company).

This Is Us
During the season finale of This is Us, 29 brands ran 33 spots 36 times, generating 196 million TV ad impressions.

These ads reached more females than males (57.21% v. 42.79%), with the 35-54 age demo accounting for the bulk of these views (36.63%).



The average view rate for ads during this program was: 88.61%

The ad with the most impressions was a promo for NBC’s Trial & Error with 17.6 million tv ad impressions.

Since the outage on Sunday, This Is Us has generated more than 34% of all emotionally charged tweets referencing NBC programming.

Related: NBC's 'Trial & Error' Promos Run Up 170.5M TV Ad Impressions in One Week

The Rachel Maddow Show
During Rachel Maddow’s "Trump Tax Return" episode March 14, 19 brands ran 20 spots 21 times, generating 20.4 million tv ad impressions.

These ads reached more males than females (51.05% v. 48.95%), with the 55+ age demo accounting for the bulk of these views (37.77%).



The average view rate for ads during this program was 90.47%. People stayed tuned.

The ad with the most impressions was: Land Rover’s "Downhill Inferno" with 2.3 million TV ad impressions.

On Tuesday, over 40% of ERs across networks were sparked by MCNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, with 8.1% expressing hate.

The Walking Dead
During this week’s episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, 27 brands ran 40 spots 41 times, generating 167.8 million TV ad impressions.

These ads reached more males than females (52/27% v. 47.74%), with the 35-54 age demo accounting for the bulk of these views (36.13%).



The average view rate for ads during this program was: 86.19%

The ad with the most impressions was: Verizon’s “Drop the Metrics” featuring Thomas Middleditch with 6.2 million TV ad impressions.

The Voice
During the three episodes of blind auditions on NBC's The Voice this week, 105 brands ran 139 spots 198 times, generating 714.2 million TV ad impressions.

These ads reached more females than males (54.13% v. 45.97%), with the 35-54 age demo accounting for the bulk of these views (36.68%).



The average view rate for ads during this program was: 88.92%

The ad with the most impressions was a promo for NBC’s Trial & Error with 17.9 million tv ad impressions.

Since the outage on Sunday,The Voice has generated more than 35% of all emotionally charged tweets referencing ABC programming (according to Canvs, the emotion analytics company).

Saturday Night Live
During this week’s Saturday Night Live, 22 brands ran 32 spots 34 times, generating 67 million TV ad impressions.

These ads reached more males than females (50.04% v. 49.96%), with the 35-54 age demo accounting for the bulk of these views (36.96%).



The average view rate for ads during this program was: 87.43%

The ad with the most impressions was: Indeed’s “What Is Your Next Move?” with 4.8 million TV ad impressions.