I consider myself one of the masses who bows and genuflects at the altar of He Who Invented the DVR, and restrict most of my television viewing to that which has already been recorded. Since I also find that I am drawn to programs that seem to only last a season or two, I wonder if watching by DVR affects a particular show’s ratings. Asked another way, are ratings still recorded in the traditional “Nielson Box” manner, or is our telephone line connection used to assess our viewing habits?
Neilsen started recording DVR use in 2006. Here’s a long article on what gets measured.
And here’s an article on the numbers for this year’s premiere week.