Nielsen to gauge TV viewing on Web, mobile devices

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In a move with far-reaching implications for commercial television, Nielsen Media Research said Wednesday it plans to integrate TV with Internet ratings and to measure viewership for such portable devices as cell phones and iPods.

It’s about time.

The scope of Wednesday’s announcement stunned many in the media industry, who had for years told Nielsen that it moved too slowly in reacting to changes in the TV business.

One of the most intriguing elements of Nielsen’s plan is the integration of TV and online measurement, by tracking video programming delivered on the Web through its Nielsen/NetRatings unit, and adding the Internet to its own national People Meter sample to give the industry what could be its first comprehensive look at viewing on TV and broadband.

I’m not sure how they’re going to do this, but it is a necessary thing to track as long as entertainment is dependent on advertising. The advent of direct downloading could change that dependency, though - consumers are getting burnt out on commercials, and really, it isn’t possible to force people to watch the ads. A lot of people typically get up and leave the room during the ads, whether for a bathroom break or to get a snack, or just because, and with VCRs, then TIVO and now computer recording and editing - there’s no guarantee the ads will make it through, and the crawl across the bottom of the screen sometimes obscures significant information. Personally, I’m in favor of having shows depend on their viewers directly; there are plenty of other ways to advertise, thanks.

Nielsen will expand its Local People Meters to the top 25 markets and by 2011 will phase out the paper diaries with several types of electronic devices. One technology being explored is a wearable tag that would be able to tell when the viewer is near the TV.

Okay, that’s just kind of creepy…