Nielsen is Finally Going Electronic, Diaries on Their Way Out
The ratings service is beginning to replace paper diaries with new electronic devices it’s developed that will track viewing by “listening” to the audio portion of TV shows watched and a Nielsen “audio watermark” embedded in the signals transmitted by stations. It is starting with 14 of the 154 markets that still use diaries.
“The devices — or ‘code readers,’ as Nielsen is calling them — are about the size of a Roku or Apple TV set-top box. The new system will enable the diary-based markets to obtain Nielsen viewership data 12 months a year, instead of just the current four sweeps months (February, May, July and November).”
Nielsen also plans on expanding the audience sample size in each converted market. The company hopes that eliminating the paper-based system will help make future measurements easier, especially as multichannel factors have become a concern.
See the full story here: http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/79400/nielsen-diaries-finally-on-the-way-out