NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a reliable sign of spring: television networks are grumbling that the Nielsen company is not accurately measuring how many people are watching their programs. Networks believe that it’s counter-intuitive that fewer people are watching TV at a time the pandemic is keeping so many at home. They say it runs counter to other statistics, including booming sales in TV sets. Nielsen says that after an initial burst of interest last spring, long-term trends taking people away from TV have re-emerged, including increased numbers of people spending time on their devices, or listening to podcasts.
