Nielsen to Include Net-Connected TVs in TV Household Definition

Research firm to begin counting broadband-delivered viewing starting in September

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/21/2013 4:05:19 PM

In what Nielsen called a "foundational change" in how it measures TV viewing -- but initially is not likely to have much effect in practice -- the research company announced Thursday that it will expand its definition of a TV household for ratings purposes to include homes with broadband-connected televisions.

That means that starting in September, Nielsen's national People Meter sample of 23,000 TV households will include "over-the-top" television programming, delivered over broadband to a TV set rather than via broadcast antenna, cable, satellite or telco TV.

For now, however, the expanded definition includes only TV-connected devices, such as Microsoft's Xbox, Apple TV and Roku's set-top, not devices such as iPads or computers.

Only a limited amount of TV programming as tabulated by Nielsen is delivered through Internet-connected TV devices today. For example, Verizon FiOS customers can watch a portion of their linear lineup on Samsung Smart TVs and Xbox gaming consoles.

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