Will Digital Switchover provide exact viewing figures?

I've often wondered this.

Does Sky and/or any digital terrestrial service have the technology to know when a Freeview/Sky/Virgin box is connected to which channel? If so, when digital switchover happens, will the TV companies be able to get EXACT viewing figures, rather than rely on a sampling system which surely cannot be 100% accurate?

If not, why when the technology was being invented was this not taken into consideration that maybe broadcasters would like to know their exact viewing figures?

Is it deliberately not being invented so that broadcasters won't have to let advertisers know that actually the 13 million people who we thought watched Coronation Street were in fact 2 million, but BARBs sampling system got it wrong?

Just a thought

The issue would be I guess it be number of TV's tuned in to a channel, rather than the number watching - though apparantly we all have 4.7 TV's in our house now.


The real issue I suppose would be data protection - I can imagine the headlines already about companies monitoring what you're watching, though having said there has been talk of some services using such information to send you targeted advertising.

Freeview won't as it has no return path. And you can use a Sky box without having it plugged into the phone line.

To answer the OPs question. No.

Freeview boxes and PVRs don't have to have a "Return path" i.e. a way of the box talking to the outside world (via a phone line or broadband) Some boxes do have this - but there is no central system for this to work for Freeview.

Sky boxes do have a proper return path via the phone line - but only some Sky contracts require this to be connected.

Cable boxes have a return path AFAIK.

HOWEVER - even if you have a return path this only tells you what the receiver is tuned to - NOT who is in the room (if anyone) watching.

The viewing figures are more than just "Number of people watching" they include age, sex, social grouping etc. A Sky or Cable box can't tell whether there is nobody in the room or 20 people, and it can't tell if they are C2 Males or A Females...

There IS data collected on viewing habits etc. by some set top boxes - and also some PVRs. However this won't replace the "People metering" set top boxes - it doesn't tell you enough about the audience watching.

I'm currently watching Dave three times at my house. No TVs are switched on though.

The interesting new technology for ratings are portable people meters that use the same technology as that music recognition over mobile service (name??)

Every user get monitored, and it covers content via web stream or clip, TV and radio. In home or out.

Broadcasters hate it as it shows the true switchoff when ads come on (particually radio) USA networks use them for show testing (not full ratings) They watch for switchoff when certain talent/plotlines air and add that with focus group data to decide how to cast and schedule a show. Scary if your an actor! Or Paul Ross if it ever comes to the UK.

Unless you're listening via headphones!



When the radio people monitors were tried in London a few years ago it gave a massive boost to speech stations like LBC, BBC London, Talksport, 5Live which all had far higher ratings than they do under Rajar.

Whether or not that was because Talksport funded the trial I don't know