I just let that roll past at the time because at least I’m not in the print directory business, hello Google!  But, this morning I saw an article in the New York Times that is great news for marketers and advertisers who have been scared by not only the hype, but the real prospect of commercials getting skipped over or even worse — no results at the cash register.

To summarize Bill Carter, writer for the New York Times: The advent and rise of the digital video recorder, known as DVR or Tivo, has prompted many a sleepless night for television network executives; but, now they are actually embracing the technology.

What created the turnabout? Two years ago Nielsen started measuring television consumption by the so-called-commercial-plus-three ratings, which measure viewing for the commercials in shows that are watched either live or played back on digital video recorders within three days. This replaced the use of program ratings.

At the time it was reported that network executives fiercely resisted the change, fearing that they would never get credit for recorded shows because viewers would skip through all the commercials. But the figures show otherwise.

Turns out humans are actually creatures of habit and television watching is still a passive activity.

According to Nielsen, nearly half of all people watching delayed shows are still letting the commercials roll. This was based on all four networks, viewers 18-49 years old. Plus, while they base their ratings on three days, networks receive program ratings for playback over seven days — so the odds someone will see your recorded spot go up even more.

It’s good news to hear that the only option left for us poor people in the advertising world isn’t waiting for someone to look us up in the phone book and call.

For more details and to read the full article by Bill Carter in the New York Times.

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