There are two different types of television. The first is local programming; this includes your local news broadcasts. The second type is on the network level; this includes morning and evening news programs and prime time comedies and dramas. Both types of programming are evaluated on a ratings system, administered by Nielsen Media Research. Nielsen uses handwritten programming logs in conjunction with automated "people readers" to "rate" a certain show's popularity; having the highest rating for your time slot is the equivalent of winning that time slot. Since advertising revenue is based on a program's Nielsen rating, improving a show's ratings are critical to its ultimate financial success.
I am not really expert in this concern, but i think this is a lot of hassle over nothing. Which is on some minimal satellite tv route and if you don't want to look at it then don't. That's not like you'd even come across it unless you were looking for it.