• by Wayne Friedman , November 9, 2007

TiVo is adding to its suite of research products, now launching a product that will reveal a demographic viewership breakdown. Media agency Starcom USA is its first client.

The digital video recording maker is starting up Power||Watch Consumer Panel, which will have a sample size of 20,000 homes that will opt-in to participate. Key for media executives is the ability to communicate with that panel through surveys and focus groups. Starcom is already a TiVo client for its TiVo's Stop||Watch ratings service, a second-by-second program and commercial ratings research service.

In addition to segmenting data into particular viewer groups, Power Watch will include data such as the number of TiVos in a household, the history of a particular TiVo subscriber, and whether the TiVo households has broadband or dial-up connectivity, analog cable, digital cable, satellite or over-the-air.

Many media analysts say the TiVo services are important when looking at time-shifting of TV viewers.

But at the same time, media research analysts warn that TiVo's 20,000 sample size is not representative of the U.S. TV household population, and should not be confused with viewership information offered by Nielsen Media Research--whose sample is representative of U.S. TV household population. Of the 12,000 or so TV homes in Nielsen's sample, less than 3,000 have DVRs.

Tivo has some 4 million subscribers, who represent less than 5% of U.S. TV households, and its customers tend to have a higher household income than the nation's average.

Another difference is that Nielsen doesn't allow its panel members to communicate directly with its clients, for fear of tainting research results.