• by Joe Mandese , May 1, 2008

In anticipation of the Feb. 17, 2009 federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcast spectrum, Nielsen Media Research Wednesday issued a substantial report to clients detailing its plans for dealing with the shift, and how and when it would report data during what is expected to be an unusually disruptive period. Among other things, Nielsen announced a shift in its data reporting schedules surrounding the period in early 2009, including an unprecedented shift of the quarter's local TV ratings "sweep" from February to March.

The sweeps are the periods four times each year in which Nielsen issues hundreds of thousands of paper diaries to viewers in markets too small to be measured by its people meter technology. The data is the basis for demographic estimates that determine advertising rates in all but the largest television markets.

With less than 10 months before the transition, the Nielsen communiqué noted that 11.3% of television sets currently in its panels are "unready," and not capable of receiving digital broadcast signals.

"We anticipate that most homes with 'unready' sets will take one or more of the following actions to ensure that they can continue to view television after the transition date:

* Replace older, "unready" sets with new sets equipped with digital (ATSC) tuners to enable over-the-air reception of digital broadcast signals.
* Connect analog-only "unready" sets to cable or DBS (which are both required to distribute "down-converted" analog signals and digital signals to their subscribers).
* Purchase and connect their "unready" sets to government-subsidized, set top converter boxes that convert over-the-air digital signals to analog signals."

Because the shift in TV reception technologies has the potential to disrupt conventional viewing patterns and/or Nielsen's ability to track them, Nielsen said it is issuing the extensive plan now so that clients know what to expect, and when to expect it.