Does DVR/Tivoing a show count towards the ratings?

I think that you have to watch it within a certain timeframe (24 hours?) after it airs for it to count as part of the ratings.

When it is being tivo'd or dvr'd its technically for all intents and purposes being watched. How do they know if your watching it while its happening or later? They dont and therefore, it counts (for ratings purposes) while its being tivo'd or dvr'd.

It doesn't count at all unless you're a Nielsen's family. But if you are, I read that they have a new system they are using just for the DVR/Tivo situations. So yes it does count. I was thinking that it said that you had to watch it within 24 hours of the show but I could be wrong.

The nielsen family is pretty much outdated. With the new technology and being able to now keep track of viewing from satalite companies and cable etc, they are now able to pretty much keep track of what people are watching. There still are some neilsen families in general, but most networks no longer depend on those ratings (as the only one) they combine ALL the ways they get ratings now, and use them. If you apply to be a neilsen family now you will hear them say they dont really add many, because they have become a thing of the past.

And as far as the dvr/tivo they calculates it when its being recorded, it doesnt matter when you watch it, the night it is recorded, is when it is added to the calculations. If it went by when you watched it, you might watch it 100 times, and it isnt going to add it each time, it just does it when its recorded and then no more after that. (whether you watch it or not) it counts when you record it as watching it.

I just don't see how they know what we're watching if there is nothing hooked up to our TV or they don't send us something to rate the shows. I don't see how they could possibly know. I think they need to totally get rid of Nielsen rating system. If they really want to know what people are watching, why not send out something to every household? That way you really do get an accurate rating.

Nielsen has slowly been working its way out for a long time.

They can tell from the cable/satellite companies. They are able to report the data to the networks. (its like sending something out to every household, only they dont have to wait on people to return the information and they cant lie on that information) The networks are going by that way more then the nielsen reports and have been for a long time now.

Cool, I didn't know that.