A move by Nielsen, the television ratings giant, could result in online presentations of TV programs carrying just as many commercials as broadcast does, according to Advertising Age.
Nielsen’s new methodology to compile data that take into account viewing of commercials that run in a particular show, online or off, could be in place by September so it can be used for ad sales in February 2011. “If this system were adopted en masse — and it’s not clear that it would be — online viewing might be crammed just as full of commercials as the more traditional TV-watching experience,” Ad Age says.
And, while online sites like Hulu and Disney’s ABC.com typically have few ads, “many TV executives say these methods don’t bring much, if any, profit — and therefore cannot continue.”