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Nielsen Delays Release of VOD Measurement

Nielsen Media Research, which had announced plans to introduce new software last week that would enable its TV ratings meters to measure programming viewed via VOD, has postponed the release until August 20.

The software will also enable Nielsen to measure other forms of time-shifted viewing, including DVR devices, writes MediaPost. But even as it prepares to launch the new software to measure video on demand, the audience measurement company has disclosed data which indicates that its sample does not adequately represent DVR households. In a research paper released to clients in mid-July, only 4.8 percent of its TV ratings sample had DVRs, and Nielsen admitted in the report that for the next several months, the DVR homes in the panel will not necessarily be representative of all DVR homes as “we are in the process of installing and catching up with the DVR universe.”

Nielsen estimated that DVRs were in about 10 percent of U.S. TV households in March, and expects they will reach an 18 percent penetration by the end of the year.

Nielsen’s new video on demand measurement service, NORA (Nielsen On Demand Reporting & Analytics), will be used by Insight Communications, the ninth largest cable TV operator in the country. This is the second major deal to access VOD data from a cable operator since Nielsen announced plans for the service. In February, Nielsen announced a deal with Comcast Corp., the country’s largest cable operator.