When A.A. Gill the celebrated television and restaurant critic writes about Mad Men, he sings its praises but he always adds that of course it's not really a huge success and is only watched by the enlightened few. But of course he's wrong. Why? Because the model that is used to measure TV audience figures is outdated and doesn't take in to account viewing on DVR, online, VOD (video on demand) or iTunes. And of course that's where an awful lot of people are watching it these days, especially if the audience tends to be younger, as they are less inclined to indulge in old fashioned 'appointment viewing'. So it's no wonder that AMC (the producers of Mad Men) get a little testy when they hear the Mad Men audience described as "tiny", because once you factor in all the other ways this show is viewed, it's more successful than series like Ugly Betty or American Dad. In short there needs to be a better way of tracking viewership across all platforms - get to it Neilsen!
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