Nielsen to measure TiVo usage

ny_cable_guy writes "The following letter went out to all of Nielsen's clients this morning: 'Working together, Nielsen Media Research and TiVo have developed software that will enable the extraction of tuning, recording and playback information from TiVo's PVR system. TiVo has downloaded this new software as part of a normal system upgrade via phone lines to existing TiVo subscribers across the country. This software would be used only by Nielsen Media Research to retrieve data from sample households, and only with permission from the household, as is the case with all homes in our samples. It is otherwise inactive in non-Nielsen homes.' The full letter has been reprinted here on netWert."

Oh, that's representative.

[sllort]

The new Nielsens are out, and there's been a bit of a shakeup in the ratings war! Friends is out of its number 1 spot, replaced by the Simpsons and second runner Junkyard Wars... Anime appears to be America's new addiction.

omg!!!!

[Wakko Warner]

This is so invasive! Even though I have to tell them to turn it on, think of the potential for abuse!

My Rights Online are being slowly eroded!

- A.P.

Re:Oh, that's representative.

[prator]

Well, thanks to my wife, we will probably get to only watch Trading Spaces all day/every day.

-prator

Now we'll get better commercials

[Rude Turnip]

Since they'll be able to observe when people fast-forward through commercials, the quality and viewability of commercials will be under the gun. There are some good commercials worth watching if you're in the market for a particular product or the commercial is simply entertaining. Other commercials (ie those for feminine hygeine products) aren't worth it.

I've come to accept that if I'm not directly funding a channel like HBO with a subscription, then commercials are a way of life. So, they might as well try and pitch to me something I'd consider buying rather than talking about pouring blue water on things and playing tennis in white pants.

Re:Excellent! More accurate demographics helps!

[arkanes]

So they know what shows to add more and more product placement to? I suppose there's some sort of chance that this information will somehow get networks and advertisers to see the light and work toward changing the current economic model into something that works better with PVRs and other such things. Maybe by accepting lower profits, and a less dynamic industry, where it's not as easy to get rich quick (or die penniless), but a nice, stable industry. Like making gravel. Or whatever.

OOPS

[iceT]

ue to a logic error, a "NOT" was missed in an expression, and we accidently turned on all of the TiVo's for collection...

My-bad.

Re:Excellent! More accurate demographics helps!

[Eccles]

You didn't remember what automaker it was for!

Maybe he did, but saying "Remember the Volkswagen commercial" doesn't nail it down enough. (And, I note, *you* remembered the automaker...)