We all know TV ratings are imperfect -- as the exact viewing habits of thousands are just multiplied to account for millions. And it's even hazier now that people have things like Sky+ to "watch" television at their own leisure. Therefore, while illegal and frowned upon by the industry, the viewing/downloading habits of people online is arguably a LOT more accurate. Well, in terms of what TV shows are most popular, anyway...
New TeeVee have an interesting Top 20, based on:
"global download volumes as measured by swarm sizes, swarm speeds and file sizes. These data reflect the collective global popularity of all available show content from all seasons current and past, not just the most recent broadcast."
The results are below:
What a very odd list. Don't you think? I'm not surprised Lost is #1 (even months after season 4 finished in the US and UK), but is Weeds really THAT popular? The second most popular TV download? Really? And Stargate Atlantas at #5? Does anyone watch that? Well, they must do. Enough to wait for a 350MB file to download, too!
Great to see our very own Top Gear and Doctor Who are so popular around the world. Interesting to see Mad Men jump up from #26 to #19, most likely because non-Americans are downloading season 2 before it airs in their own country. Likewise Canada's Generation Kill, which debuts at #17. But why is The OC suddenly so in-demand? It's at #13, up from #125! I suspect people are catching up on past seasons during the summer, before all these shows come back on-air.
