Television networks have been tapping Twitter hashtags for a couple of years to drum up more buzz for their programs. However, new Nielsen data shows that programs with the greatest Twitter activity does not always correlate to programs with the highest ratings, according to the Wall Street Journal.

That is one of the takeaways from data Nielsen will begin publishing on Monday, ranking shows with the greatest traction on the microblogging social network. The goal of the “Nielsen Twitter TV Ranking,” which the companies announced last December, will be to measure the unique audience tweeting about individual programs.

MORE: Nielsen to roll out Twitter ratings for TV shows on Monday | Internet & Media – CNET News.

NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Company, worked with Nielsen to try to better answer that question. In the study, NM Incite and Nielsen were able to find a statistically significant relationship that shows a correlation between online buzz and TV ratings. This correlation takes place throughout the TV show season, though the impact online buzz can have on ratings can vary based on a season’s timeline.Unsurprisingly, the strongest correlation takes place with younger demographics, viewers ages 12-17 and 18-34. Nielsen and NM Incite also found a slightly stronger correlation for women over men.

via Study Shows Correlation Between Social Buzz and TV Ratings.