What are the May Sweeps and how are they affecting Supernatural Season 13?

The May Sweeps are coming and many shows are taking a break because of them. Just what are they and how are they affecting the new episodes of Supernatural Season 13?

It’s that time of year again. The time that many shows take a week break here and there to stretch the rest of their seasons out. While some of it is to ensure a shorter break between the end of one season and the start of another, the decision to stretch is also for the May Sweeps.

This is a Nielsen Ratings thing. You know, that thing we keep going on about when it comes to new episodes and watching live as much as possible? The thing that helps to keep our favorite shows on the air?

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During February, May, July, and November every year, Nielsen takes a sweep of the ratings. Well, technically, they sweeps are taken during January-February, April-May, and so on. The sweep dates usually overlap the end of one month and the majority of another. The November and May Sweeps tend to be the most important for fall shows, while February and July can be important for midseason and summer shows.

So for Supernatural, the November and May Sweeps are important, which is why you’ll find these months have as many new episodes as possible. The dates will actually explain part of the decision to put a new episode on over Thanksgiving, despite knowing there would be a major drop in the ratings.

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What exactly are the May Sweeps?

Nielsen tracks viewer ratings by a box connected to the TV, allowing almost instant results. The Sweeps are a little different. Nielsen sends out paper diaries, allowing homes to physically track everything they watch throughout a week or two period. This happens in various houses over the course of the month and then Nielsen can get as much information as possible to send back to the networks.

Sweeps in February, July, and November do the same during these months.

How do the May Sweeps after Supernatural in March?

Wait, if the May Sweeps are April to May, why are they affecting Supernatural right now? Well, The CW needs as many new episodes for April 25-May 22 as possible. Episode 15 has just aired and there are 23 episodes this season, so only a handful left. If the network continued airing new episodes now, there wouldn’t be many left to air in May.

This is part of the reason for a break in March. The other reason is linked to filming, which you can read more about in the piece about why Supernatural isn’t on tonight, March 15.

What do the May Sweeps do?

The May Sweeps involve Nielsen doing a full look at the ratings for the shows between April 25 and May 22, 2018. The exact dates change each year. Last year the sweep took place between April 26 and May 23 and next year it will take place between April 23 and May 20.

Networks will use the data to determine their fall programming for next year. After all, May is when most finales are airing. If the last three or four episodes are performing poorly then the network can consider moving the show to the midseason (because it’s likely already renewed it, especially where The CW is concerned). In some cases, the May Sweeps help to determine renewals and cancellations of the fall shows.

Hopefully, we’ll have news about Supernatural Season 14 by the time the May Sweeps take place. If not, The CW will likely use this time to assess whether to cancel or renew the Winchesters. SPN Hunters is going with a renewal, but there’s been no official confirmation yet.

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The Sweeps are also important for ad revenue. The better the numbers, the more a network can charge for advertising. During the Sweeps, the key demo figures are viewered as more important than the total viewing figures, as this is the demo for the advertisers.

This year’s May Sweeps are going to be extremely important. It’s the first one since the announcement of The CW stretching to six primetime nights per week instead of the current five.

Does this mean other weeks aren’t important?

So, if Nielsen takes a sweep at strategic points of the year, does this mean that other months aren’t important? Well, they’re not as important, but they’re still important. The networks want to know people are watching consistently to get the advertisers they need to stay on the air. So, that means watching live as much as possible.

Remember that the Sweeps are paper diaries. The networks will still use the other information gathered each week.

Next: 5 takeaways from the Supernatural Scoobynatural trailer and synopsis

Are you disappointing Nielsen affects your new episodes? Would you like the way of tracking viewership to change? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Supernatural returns with new episodes on Mar. 29. Stay tuned for renewal news and more by liking SPN Hunters on Facebook.