TiVo is quintupling the sample size for their Stop||Watch service from 20,000 to 100,000 users. The new sample size of anonymous, second-by-second audience research data is 25 times the sample size of other, panel-base research sources. The larger sample size allows TiVo to provide accurate measurements for cable networks with lower viewership.
As they state in their press release:
The TiVo set-top-box data platform offers significant advantages over traditional panel-based services, including:
* Second-by-second granularity. Enables ratings for each specific commercial.
* National footprint covering all signal sources, including digital cable, analog cable, satellite, and over-the-air.
* Monitoring Live and Timeshifted viewing. Provides visibility into DVR viewing behavior and commercial fast-forwarding.
* Unprecedented 100,000 sample size. Dramatically decreases the margin of error, allowing us to provide stable ratings (both Live and Timeshifted) for networks with viewership too low to be measured by panel-based services.
* Passive Observation. No paid panelists. No obtrusive metering equipment. Everybody just watches TV as usual.
See the full press release for more details on Stop||Watch as well as some of the ratings data it provides.
