Monday, May 14, 2012

NYTimes: NBC's Harbert Just Can't Wait For Nielsen

NBC Executive Chafes at Commercial-Skipping DVR and Nielsen’s Rating System

The chairman of NBC Broadcasting, Ted Harbert, challenged the television industry on Monday to rethink its ratings measurements and criticized the Nielsen Company for being ineffectual in the face of technological advances.

“So the first issue that deserves a lot of discussion is cross platform measurement. We must be able to measure consumer behavior, and that means measuring the viewer-slash-user no matter what screen they’re in front of.  Frankly, it didn’t matter that much before because the numbers were so small. But obviously that’s changed.

Last year I complained about how my kids watch TV. But now, I am them. I caved. I’ll watch TV on my iPhone. (But I’m drawing the line on my watch.) And marketers want to know how many people watch across all platforms; how they respond to what they watch; and what do they do while they’re watching.

You want these answers, and for the amount of money you’re spending, you deserve to get them. We’re participating in many initiatives to try and crack the measurement code because we just can’t wait — and wait some more — for Nielsen to do it. We’ll share what we learn, and we want your input and participation.”

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