Almost two years ago Nielsen Media Research, the company behind the famous Nielsen ratings that TV networks use to gauge how their shows are doing on the market, began to include college students who were away from home in their Nielsen ratings box.

This was a sign of hope for many ratings-challenged series like “Veronica Mars,” “The O.C.,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Gossip Girl,” shows popular among younger viewers. But most of those shows got the ax. Flash-forward to today, many of the shows that college students prefer to watch are still facing the same ratings troubles.

“Heroes” is averaging 9.4 million viewers compared to last season’s 11.6 million. Last season, “Grey’s Anatomy” beat “C.S.I.” in the ratings, but this season, “Grey’s” is hitting a ratings low. “America’s Next Top Model” and “Prison Break” are also below last season’s average. There are many possible explanations including the loss of viewers during the Writers Guild of America strike and the rise of new media that allows for viewers to check out their favorite show on their own time.

A group of sophomores said that they watched between five and 15 hours of television in one week. The majority of those shows included prime time shows like “Heroes,” “The Simpsons,” “24” and “SportsCenter.” Daniel Yomtobian, a sophomore biology major and self-proclaimed “SportsCenter” fanatic, said he puts his work before television.

“Once in a while if the game’s intense, I’ll stick around and watch it,” Yomtobian said. “But for the most part, I put work first and television second.”

Paul Scholtz, a junior cinema major, said he’s so occupied with a campus club that it makes him miss his favorite shows.

“I have meetings on Thursday nights which makes me miss ‘The Office’ and ‘30 Rock,’” Scholtz said. “I end up watching these shows online instead.”

Scholtz isn’t the only one turning to the Web. Liz Grace, a sophomore, said she watches almost everything on the computer.

“I didn’t have time to catch Tina Fey impersonate Sarah Palin on ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Grace said. “I had to see it on YouTube instead.”

The WGA strike also put a dent in viewing habits. After the 100-day strike, many shows including “Heroes” and “Private Practice” went on hiatus, forcing them to come back in the fall instead of the spring like some other programs. “Heroes” was off the air for nine months and as a result, it lost 3.4 million viewers. But attention can also be turned to the serialized nature of the programs that require week-to-week viewing.

Nielsen also looks at the number of programs watched on devices such as TiVo and DVRs, something many students don’t have access to. Besides DVRs and Internet viewings, many students said they are watching more and more television on DVD.

Benjamin Schoedel, a junior computer science major at Broome Community College, said he decided to skip his favorite shows all year long and wait until the DVDs come out so that he can watch them on his own time.

“It’s not an easy feat,” said Schoedel. “I try not to listen to what my friends say the next day after the episode airs and I have to read carefully on Web sites so that I won’t be spoiled as to what happens on ‘Heroes’ or ‘Smallville.’”

Many critics charge Nielsen is no longer an accurate measure of TV viewers, but they still play a vital part in the television industry. As new media evolves, so will the viewing habits of the audience.