Nielsen ratings have long been the measure of TV success. For the week ending March 22, ABC, CBS and Fox dominated the Nielsen top 20. Not a single NBC or CW show made the list. But does that tell the whole story? Thanks to websites like hulu, viewers are consuming information online in demand.

We measured web chatter for the Nielsen top 20 during the same week, and added several popular NBC and CW shows to our research as well. The results were surprising. Half of our top 10 is comprised of shows on NBC or CW.

1. American Idol (Fox)
2. Gossip Girl (CW)
3. Saturday Night Live (NBC)
4. Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
5. Desparate Housewives (ABC)
6. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
7. Heroes (NBC)
8. 60 Minutes (CBS)
9. The Office (NBC)
10. 30 Rock (NBC)

Fans of the Battlestar Galactica series have to deal with the reality that the show has aired its final episode. Even though it had great ratings for SciFi, it still claims less viewers than many Friday night major network Primetime TV episodes. However, just take a look at how much buzz it created over the web. Shouldn’t buzz be a factor in the measurement of the success of a TV show? Why aren’t networks focusing more on measurement of DVR/TiVo recordings or views from online episodes? This contributes to the question that needs much attention: Why is Nielsen still the TV ratings standard?