Twielsen is a TV show popularity rating system (currently limited to US TV shows). The rating system is based on real time social media data, primarily micro blogging messages sent by the users of Twitter a.k.a. "tweets". Why wait till tomorow to see which shows are hot tonight? That will be too late. Why not see it as it happens? That is what Twielsen is all about.

Twielsen provides alerts on the "hot shows" in real time. Can't figure out what to watch for the night? The Twielsen TV ratings system can send you real time alerts to inform you of the TV shows that other people are finding interesting. To get real time alerts on Twitter, click here to follow Twielsen.

Use Twielsen to find out the shows to watch before they are shown in your time zone (Except the Eastern time zone :( ). This works well with most network shows which are usually scheduled by time zone. So, if you are in Denver and your siginificant other asks you for ideas on the shows to watch for the night, go to Twielsen, change the "Time Zone" to Eastern or Central and you will see the hottest shows for the evening resulting in you looking smarter than you really are (and Twielsen will have saved another relationship...blah..blah. Next stop, world hunger). Twielsen users in the Eastern time zone, sorry, but I am working on something for you. Seriously, I am :)

Twielsen is built on a real time micro-data analysis engine codenamed "Harare". At the core of the Twielsen rating system are Harare algorithms that calculate ratings based on a synthesis of attention and sentiment analyses. The attention analysis component analyzes two pieces of attention: 1) attention quantity and 2) attention quality. The sentiment analysis component analyzes the sentiment that is expressed in the text. Using the results of these analyses, Harare comes up with a Twielsen rating on a scale of 1 to 100 Twielsen Points. Please note that these are POINTS and not percentage shares.

Here are a few things to know about Twielsen:

• The maximum Twielsen Points that a show can get is 100. However, there is a really cool fature called "This show is off the charts" which you will see when a show's rating is really is off the charts :)
• Twielsen displays the shows in order of popularity. The most popular shows first. Shows that have less than 1 Twielsen Point are not displayed.
• Twielsen does not track "Local Programming" or infomercials
• Twielsen automatically refreshes the browser, so keep your browser up and WATCH!!
• If you tweet about about watching a show and do not see any movement in the Twielsen graph, that means Twielsen is actually working. Usually a single user is not enough to move the needle because Twielsen ratings are calculated in the context of everyone else who is watching something on Twitter.
• If you try to send multiple tweets about a show to boost its ratings, that will not work.
• If you do not see your favorite shows on the graph, it is either Twielsen is not tracking that channel or your show is not registering a bleep
• ** Twielsen was originally designed to find out the hottest shows that are showing NOW. Therefore at times, especially in the morning, you may see an unusually high rating for a show; the reason is that show is being measured against other shows that are playing at the same time. I am still deciding whether to make Twielsen more like traditional TV ratings which measure ALL shows against each other. Your feedback and opinion is welcome (tom AT twielsen DOT com). **
• Where did the name Twielsen come from? Duh!!!

Twielsen automatically compiles historical analytics data on shows. If you want some historical analytics for commercial purposes, send me an e-mail

If you have any questions, comments or anything else for that matter, feel free to contact me at tom AT twielsen DOT com (I only check my e-mails in the evenings)

-- Tom