It’s so fun watching the Nielsen ratings service get dragged, kicking and screaming, into the late 20th Century. (Maybe somebody should tell ’em that they’re still behind?)
Nielsen agrees that some people watch TV on things besides TVs, and maybe they should do something about that
by Sean O’Neal
After years of complaints that it’s a technologically antiquated system that relies on skewed sample data that doesn’t accurately reflect the viewing audience, the Nielsen Co. is taking steps to address at least one of those complaints by changing the definition of “TV viewing” to also include video streamed via websites, gaming systems, and mobile devices. The decision (which still isn’t binding, because why rush to change things after a mere decade or so of shifting viewing habits?) came out of a meeting of the What Nielsen Measures Committee, a group composed of representatives from various TV networks, ad agencies, and would-be sponsors who, using their combined creative talent, opted to call themselves the “What Nielsen Measures Committee.” That same quick-thinking also helped them to realize, after only a little over a year of getting together, that maybe they should consider doing something about how some people watch TV on computers these days.
