Nielsen begins monitoring TiVo usage

[John Corn]

TiVo and Nielsen Media Research have developed software that allows the audience measurement company to extract viewer information from TiVo's digital video recorders.

For now, Nielsen is excluding data from households with DVRs from its industry reports, but it is trying to piece together a sample that will reveal "the impact of TiVo...upon established viewing patterns."

"We are now in the early stages of looking at data," Nielsen Chief Executive Susan Whiting said in a memo Monday.

DVRs collect information about what shows subscribers prefer to watch so that services such as TiVo's can make recommendations on other shows that a viewer might like. The process is anonymous, but privacy groups have expressed concern about what DVR companies could do with the information they gather.


Full Story (http://news.com.com/2100-1040-948580.html?tag=fd_lede)

[gcutler]

If my Season Pass or recording of a show keeps it on the air (where way to many of the shows I watch seem to disappear tooo soon) then good. I always wanted to be a Neilsen :D

[DarrellP]

Neilson would go bonkers trying to track what I watch. I rarely sit down and finish a show in one sitting, I usually end up watching part of a movie then some of Farscape, back to another movie, etc.

I'm glad I don't have a TIVO so they can't track anything I do.

[James_F]

I'd assume you'd sign up for it. I don't think they track without people knowledge (at least Neilson)... :shrug:

[Jacob S]

Thats interesting, they can compare what a person watched live vs. what a person watches from previously watched shows stored on the hard drive.

[The Tophinator]

I think it's a good thing. It kind of bugs me when I read that Station 1 beat station 2 on Wednesday when thanks to TiVo I saw both including station 3.

[James_F]

But what does it mean to advertisers that you watched "Anna Nicole Story" at a later date? I wonder how they will use this info... :shrug:

[Karl Foster]

I don't know how they will use the info, but I think it is a good idea, as long as the information is anonymous and perhaps listed by ZIP Code or location, or some other means.

BTW, I contacted Ultimatetv about this, and they do not track usage nor have plans to.

I think that anything to help keep advertisers happy is a good thing. It may keep them from freaking out about PVRs like they have been prone to do lately.