Definitions for "People meter"
an electronic device that records the television viewing habits in a small number of homes. per inquiry: also known as PI. The practice of primarily smaller, weaker stations and cable networks of accepting DRTV commercial media payment in the form of a percentage of sales. The stations/networks essentially become the direct marketers partner and receive 20 to 35% of total sales generated from the telecasts. A common practice until DRTV time became tight in the 1980's.
An attachment to a TV that measures the consumer broadcast preferences, viewer frequencies and habits.
An electronic metering device attached to a TV set to measure tuning status (set on/off, channel, time, and duration of tuning) as well as demographic data (who is watching). Household members and their guests push buttons to identify themselves. The People Meter is used by Nielsen Media Research to measure nationwide audience measurement in the U.S. and Canada. (See also, Audimeter)