Is Neilsen putting on another happy face? Image courtesy of One Super Bargain

Genius! Research that pleases everyone! Neilsen has gotten very good at this.

Via MediaPost:

In a finding that appears to defy some conventional industry thinking, new research released by Nielsen Co. indicates the so-called phenomenon of “cord-cutting” — people who replace a portion of their TV viewing with online video streaming — is real, but it also cuts both ways. Since Nielsen began simultaneously tracking TV viewing and online video usage in its national TV ratings sample earlier this year, it has found that nearly as many people have shifted some share of viewing away from online video, as have shifted toward it.

…

In fact, the overall takeaway of the Nielsen analysis should help quell the anxieties of the TV industry that online video is an imminent threat — or by that same token — and significant immediate opportunity for programmers seeking to extend their presence online.

This is an especially suspicious “takeaway,” since online video IS cutting into traditional TV in real ways that are creating real anxiety. The significant immediate opportunity is also creating anxiety as programmers try to find ways to monetize and control their properties online.

So far, we haven’t seen a lot of creativity, bravery, or innovation in a very exciting field.

The thing Neilsen numbers are missing is the impact of nearly a third of TV watchers surfing the Internet at the same time as they are watching TV. (Let’s not even discuss the missing correction for election-year TV watching.)

I do it, and I can’t say the television wins over the laptop that is closer to my eyeballs and demands more participation. I’ll often mute the ads on TV, then become absorbed and forget to unmute the show until I am done with a more absorbing task on the computer (email, etc.).

How about you? How have your TV habits changed lately?