| Converging Media Research Lab Launched | ||
| 16/1/01 | ||
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The converging world of digital TV, PC and the Internet is an important aspect of a near future. Many pundits have bravely predicted a tomorrow in which consumers treat their PC and TV as one and the same medium, bringing the home and the office ever closer. Nielsen Media Research and NetRatings are now aiming to provide research insights into this phenomenon. The pair have just launched their first "Convergence Lab" in the USA, billed as "an ongoing consumer research laboratory to electronically measure television viewing and Internet activity as they occur in the same sample households." They claim to have some 190 US Internet households involved at present, representing nearly 500 connected people. The study expects to increase its sample up to 250 households by the year end. Methodologically speaking, the research lab has TVs with built in Nielsen People Meters, reflecting the methodology used for their nationwide audience measurement. Internet activity - including usage, online buying, and exposure to banner advertising - is measured using software from the Nielsen//NetRatings service. Again, this is the same methodology used to track Internet activity in household and workplace panels throughout the USA. The belief is that the survey information will be used to determine how TV programming and promotion interacts with Web usage and traffic. As such, the findings will help understand the:
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