Nielsen announces plan for commercial-minute ratings.

Nielsen Media Research announced that after consulting with more than 100 clients during the past month, it will begin providing commercial-minute ratings later this year — first by providing clients with detailed data bases they can use to create their own customized commercial ratings, and then by offering a convenient data file covering six streams of viewing information.

For clients who want to develop their own detailed, customized commercial minute ratings, Nielsen will enhance existing products that provide subscribing clients with extremely granular data on television viewing behavior.

* On January 29, Nielsen will release an updated version of its NPOWER software, which will allow clients to look at individual minute ratings, including commercial minutes, at any interval of DVR playback ranging from one minute delayed viewing to seven days. This data will be available back to the beginning of the first week of the January 2007 measurement interval.

* On April 24, this same capability will be added to Nielsen’s All Minute Data File – an electronic file which allows clients to download Nielsen’s core data directly into their own and third party software systems. This data will be available back to the beginning of the first week of the April 2007 measurement interval.

Under either option, clients will have access to all the data they need to develop individualized minute-by-minute ratings of national commercials by demographic group for all national television programs, including DVR playback at any interval up to seven days.

“With the growth of digital television and the increased use of DVRs, Nielsen is developing new measurement tools and metrics that provide more detailed information on what viewers are watching and when,” said Sara Erichson, Nielsen General Manager of National Services. “The plan announced today is based on extensive consultation with clients to gain insight into what commercial minute ratings information will best meet the needs of the advertising and television industries”.

Last fall Nielsen produced an analysis of DVR playback that showed that the vast majority of recorded programming was played back within two to three days of its original telecast. The following chart summarizes DVR playback among 18-49 year olds recording primetime programming.