The TV viewing habits of family members who are away at college or other schools will be included in the ratings.
Moving to assuage critics who say the TV ratings don’t reflect the watching people do outside their homes, Nielsen Media Research said Monday it will start measuring the viewing habits of college students next year. It’s the first time that the ratings firm will include any out-of-home viewing in its national sample.
But the company was careful not to suggest that it had opened the door to measuring TV viewing in bars, airports, hospitals and other public places, as some TV providers have long sought.