(no subject)

[prog]

I got invited, via phone call, to participate in the Nielsen rating program today. I only dimly recall signing up for the program via TiVo two years ago, and it seems they finally pulled my name from the hat. So after I sign an agreement giving them permission to regularly poll usage data from my TiVo, I will commence helping to decide who lives and who dies.

Suddenly your TV recommendations to me have become much more heavy, hm? Bring them on...

Comments

Hmm.,

[kyroraz.livejournal.com]

Do you get anything for this? Reduction in TiVo fees? Chocolate? Free karma?

I'm still contemplating TiVo, but $12.95 for life seems a bit heinous.

Re: Hmm.,

[prog.livejournal.com]

Not sure what you mean by "$12.95 for life". When I bought my TiVo in 2003 the subscription plans were $12/month or $240/product-lifetime, and I happily bought the latter.

Re: Hmm.,

[prog.livejournal.com]

Er, maybe it was closer to $300. But anyway, I got that one, and I've been enjoying "free" TiVo service since summer 2005 as a result.

There is no reward for participating in the Nielsen thing, AFAIK. I consider the knowledge that I am wielding direct influence over the fate of TV shows that I like to be reward enough!

Re: Hmm.

[kyroraz.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, and I can see the attraction. :)

I'm just wondering what the average lifetime of a TiVo device really is, and if it is worth the $299 or not (I just checked).

But then again, a 80-Hour TiVo can be got for like $70 now ... It's almost worth the whole kit and kaboodle.

Re: Hmm.

[prog.livejournal.com]

I recommend TiVo to anyone who watches TV more than seldomly and has a salary (or can otherwise afford the price of the box + service without pain). It's really that simple

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Humm, let's see....

Battlestar Galactica, Friday night.
The Daily Show, weeknights except Friday.

And I've heard good things about "How I Met Your Mother" and "My Name is Earnest", although I couldn't tell you what day they're on.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

if you get the sudden urge to watch American Idol, plase do it somewhere else! :)

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I thought you weren't allowed to tell people that you're a Nielsen household.

[prog.livejournal.com]

I wasn't told anything like that. And anyway, that would be an incredibly stupid rule that nobody would follow, surely?

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I think the point is to make sure no one who has connections to the TV industry will try to target you because they know you're a Nielsen household—it's supposed to be a random sample, and that would bias it. (Err, I mean "target" as in "advertise to", not, you know, "put a hit out on".)

[prog.livejournal.com]

Nod, this occurred to me earlier today. Regardless, it strikes me as a rule with good intentions and no sense of reality. On the third hand, the lady who was very obviously reading from a script didn't say anything about any of this, so whatev.

My Nielsen experience

[taskboy3000.livejournal.com]

In 2002, the Nielsen people selected me to be a "Nielsen family". At the time, the Sci-Fi channel had canceled Farscape, but was about to show the final four eps. So, I thought I might be able to do some good. Unfortunately, I don't have a proper TV (only a TV tuner card for my PC)
so they couldn't use me.

So, I guess I'm personally responsible for Farscape getting canceled.

Re: My Nielsen experience

[prog.livejournal.com]

I walked on the edge of qualification when I answered the question of me-or-any-other-member-of-my-household being in the employ of a TV station by saying that I volunteered content for a community access channel sometimes. This confused the calldroid, so I assured her that I didn't think this made me an employee.

After I said this I realized that I actually have been lately receiving pay for my freelance camerawork for the city of Somerville, but really I don't think they'd care, since this doesn't weigh me down with any bias. Yes, I watch "Our City Our Schools" and "Senior Beat" 12 times a day! It's great!