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2 books match the query 'Ratings'

cover of Ratings: A.C. Nielsen Company and the Birth of the Data Economy

Ratings

A.C. Nielsen Company and the Birth of the Data Economy

Chris Wisniewski

University of Wisconsin Press, 2027

Before clicks, likes, and algorithms, there was Nielsen. In the 1930s, Arthur C. Nielsen Sr. began measuring what Americans bought in stores, helping manufacturers understand their “market share” and what drove sales. He then turned to what Americans heard and watched. Nielsen’s radio and television ratings became a household name—and a powerful force shaping advertising, corporate fortunes, and which programs stayed on the air.

Drawing on family and corporate archives, Chris Wisniewski tells the story of the company that helped make measuring consumers central to American business. From the first televised presidential debate and the Apollo 11 moon landing to the finale of M*A*S*H and the rise of cable television, Nielsen’s numbers chronicled shared experiences and increasingly fragmented audiences. This history of family ambition and entrepreneurial invention also explores questions that have only grown more urgent: What do the numbers reveal? What power do they hold? And who decides what counts? Ratings tells the story of the company that helped turn everyday choices into a powerful business asset—and laid the foundations of today’s data economy.

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cover of The Naked Truth: Why Hollywood Doesn't Make X-rated Movies

The Naked Truth

Why Hollywood Doesn't Make X-rated Movies

Sandler, Kevin S

Rutgers University Press, 2007

From parents and teachers to politicians and policymakers, there is a din of voices participating in the debate over how young people are affected by violence, strong language, and explicit sexual activity in films. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) responded to this concern in 1968 when it introduced a classification and rating system based on the now well-known labels: "G," "PG," PG-13," "R," and "X." For some, these simple tags are an efficient way to protect children from viewing undesirable content. But do the MPAA ratings only protect children? In The Naked Truth, Kevin S. Sandler argues that perhaps even more than viewers, ratings protect the Hollywood film industry. One prime indicator of this is the collective abandonment of the NC-17 rating in 1990 by the major distributors of the MPAA and the main exhibitors of the National Association of Theatre Owners. By categorizing all films released by Hollywood and destined for mainstream theaters into R ratings (or lower), the industry ensures that its products are perceived as "responsible entertainment"—films accessible by all audiences and acceptable to Hollywood's various critics and detractors.
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