HBO signs for VOD ratings

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HBO has become the first company to sign up with Nielsen to receive television ratings for its video-on-demand offerings. The data will come from Nielsen’s National People Meter VOD Audience Measurement service. Under the agreement, Nielsen will begin measuring the programming available on HBO’s subscription video on demand (SVOD) services – HBO On Demand and Cinemax on Demand.


“Technology has changed the way people watch television and as our customers increasingly use our On Demand products to watch our shows on a timetable of their choosing, it is essential that we understand this growing shift in viewer behavior,” said Jan Pasquale, Senior Vice President, Research, HBO.

“Clients told us that VOD is a vital part of their business and Nielsen responded with a service that allows them to measure, analyze and understand audience preferences,” said Sara Erichson, Executive Vice President Client Services, Nielsen North America.

Nielsen estimates that 35.1 million households have access to on-demand services. The National People Meter VOD Audience Measurement service was introduced in December of 2006 with demonstration data available to interested clients.  It uses patented technology to embed a code or “watermark” in a program to identify specific episode information. The service is based on the same sample that is used to produce all national ratings.