With time running out, Nielsen seeks to redefine it

With time running out, Nielsen Media Research is making some very important decisions that could redefine the meaning of, well, time. TV time, that is. The TV ratings giant this week informed clients of two important developments that will determine the way it measures TV viewing in digital TV viewing environments, especially ones like digital video recorders and video-on-demand that allow viewers to time-shift when they watch TV programs and commercials. As part of that process, Nielsen is asking for more time. Specifically, it told clients it will once again delay plans to roll out its so-called Active/Passive (AP) meters into its national and local ratings samples in order to resolve a crucial question: how much time does it take viewers to tell whether they are watching TV or not. Calling the concept of channel-changing "obsolete," Nielsen said it can no longer rely on channel-tuning behavior to know when a person is watching TV. In its place, Nielsen plans to begin using a "time-based" system that would prompt people to register their viewing behavior at a specific interval.

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