Nielsen Decides Not To Control For PCs, Internet Access In National TV Ratings Sample

TV ratings giant Nielsen has decided not to adjust its national TV ratings sample to ensure that it properly represents households equipped with personal computers or Internet access. The decision follows an annual review of the process Nielsen uses to determine what types of households and individuals to mathematically "weight" to ensure that they represent the population at large. Nielsen historically has used the weighting process to adjust for an under-representation of certain kinds of households, especially harder-to-recruit ones such as minorities, to ensure that their viewing habits are properly represented in its national TV ratings. But after conducting some testing, Nielsen executives concluded that adding weights for the presence of a personal computer or Internet access in under-represented households would provide "no significant change or enhancement" to its national TV ratings sample.