Nielsen to Include DVR Users in Ratings

Beginning next week, Nielsen will begin tracking viewing of programming through digital videos recorders like TiVo. The new rating system would be split into three categories, including traditional live programming, live with same-day playback on a DVR, and live with playback up to 7 days after airing.

According to Nielsen, the first Live/Same Day ratings set would be available Wednesday, and the first Live+7 Day ratings charts would be available two weeks after the completion of next week's Monday-to-Sunday ratings cycle.

The new services from Nielsen will give networks and ad agencies an idea of what programs customers are saving to their DVR units for the first time. While companies like TiVo have long provided a list of the most commonly recorded shows, the information was more general in nature.

Nielsen cautions, however, that the data will not be immediately useful until the sample grows and the company figures out how best to use it.

Another issue is the ratings won't give an idea of when customers are fast-forwarding through ads. Companies like NBC would like to shift to Live+7 Day ratings in their negotiations, but some ad agencies may not bite without assurance that DVR users are watching the ads they're paying for.

In any case, Nielsen will be pressing forward with its plans.

"Nielsen is keeping pace with the evolving ways that people watch television, thereby ensuring that our ratings continue to be accurate and reliable," said Sara Erichson, Nielsen's General Manager of National Services.

"The introduction of audience estimates for DVR is a major milestone in ratings history and will provide the most detailed information ever on how and when people watch television."