If Tivo becomes widespread and these sort of ratings details become commonplace, it will indeed radically change the economic model of television. But for the better I think.
Earlier this summer, TiVo – makers of a personal video recording device – unveiled an analytical tool that can tell advertisers, ad agencies and television networks not only how many people tune into a show, but whether they’re watching the ads. The technology is far more accurate than a Nielsen rating because it uses computer technology to track viewing habits, not handwritten surveys filled out by viewers after the fact.
Broadcasters are frightened over this development, according to a new report by BusinessWeek Online. “This is the beginning of the end of that drunken orgy of dollars spent on broadcast TV as the ultimate ‘reach’ vehicle,” said Tim Hanlon, vice-president for emerging contacts at Starcom MediaVest, an ad agency that helped TiVo design its new service.
(via tivocommunity.com)