The people meter is an electronic measuring device that incorporates the technology of the old-style audimeter in a system that records not only what is being watched but also by whom in 6,000 households. The actual device is a small box with eight buttons—six for the family and two for visitors—that can be placed on the top of the TV set A remote control unit permits electronic entries from anywhere in the room. Each member of the sample household is assigned a button that indicates his or her presence as a viewer. The device is also equipped with a sonar sensor to remind viewers entering or leaving the room to log in or out on the meter.
The viewership information the people meter collects from the household is stored in the home system until it is retrieved by Nielsen’s computers. Data collected include when the set is turned on, which channel is viewed, when the channel is changed, and when the set is off, in addition to who is viewing. The demographic characteristics of the viewers are also in the system, and viewership can be matched to these traits. Nielsen’s operation center processes all this information each week for release to the TV and advertising industries. Nielsen uses a sample of metered households in 55 markets across the country to provide overnight viewing results.