Slingbox-005

 

For those of us who keep up with technological advances, we sort of knew that this day would come eventually. As people rely on their Androids and Apple iPhones to do almost any and everything imaginable, there would come a time when television would no longer wait to be seen in the comforts of  your home.

 

In the last 5 to 10 years, there has been several companies that offered equipment and/or apps that transmits cable television to your mobile device. For instance, Slingbox is one that offers people the opportunity to watch their favorite TV programs from anywhere outside of the home. All you do is simply connect the box to your cable TV  and then set up the connection on your phone.  If you’re on the road going on a family vacation, just turn on the Slingbox connection and watch any channel of your choice. The product also has the capabilities to save your favorite channels, use a touch screen remote, etc. It’s pretty awesome.

 

slingbox

 

 

Nowadays, the idea of watching television on your phone is becoming more common. Most people are rarely at home anyways, which is why cable companies probably began offering DVR boxes. Whether you are working or taking your kids back and forth to practices, finding time to sit down and watch television is rare. Networks are beginning to recognize this due to lack of viewer ratings. When ratings are low, advertising dollars start to decrease. So, how can networks prevent viewership from falling?  Or, at least, track viewership to see where improvements can be made?

 

One way is to make sure that Nielsen is adjusting to the changes in how people watch TV.   Well, that is exactly what they will be doing.

 

Nielsen recently announced that they will begin tracking mobile device viewership.  All shows watched on a mobile phone or tablet will be accounted for. In order to get this done, Nielsen will embed a code into each network. The data received will be included in their traditional TV ratings.

 

As of now, Nielsen doesn’t believe these ratings will have a major impact on the overall ratings calculations. But, they do feel that it is important to capture this due to the younger viewing audiences who are more prone to watch on their phones.