Under a new agreement between DirecTV Inc. and Nielsen Media Research, the direct-broadcast satellite company's customers will be given the option of joining a Nielsen sample group of time-shifters.
DirecTV customers with TiVo DVR recording devices will be able to opt-in to the sample--currently 10,000 homes. The value-added for Nielsen is a larger and better picture of how time shifting affects media usage. For DirecTV, says Eric Shanks, SVP, advanced services and content, it "will help us better understand how viewers use DVRs so DirecTV can provide even more compelling services in the future."
Then there are the Madison Avenue folks who help pay the bills. "We also understand the need our advertisers have for research concerning DVR usage," says Shanks. "The data gleaned from this exercise will help in fulfilling that need."
It will take about a month for Nielsen to expand the panel, with offers being made to the DirecTV homes this week.
