Beginning Dec. 26, Nielsen will report three separate data streams: 1) "Live," viewing excluding any DVR playback; 2) "live plus same day," live viewers and those who played back programs on a DVR within one day of their initial airing; and 3) "live plus seven," live viewers and those who played back programs on a DVR within a week of their initial airing.

Preliminary Nielsen research shows that network programming as a whole registers 4% more viewers when DVR users are factored in.

Broadcasting and Cable said that many "ad buyers, not surprisingly, don't like the new streams and say they won't include DVR viewers in deals they make during next spring's upfront; more viewers mean more money that advertisers could be asked to shell out."

The media buyers are likely correct. Rarely do I watch any commercials and will even pause live TV just enough so that I can watch an almost-live show by still skipping the ads. (question to Nielsen: what category does that fall into?) DVR viewers skip through as much as 90% of ads, according to research from Magna Global USA, Interpublic's media-buying unit.

What many people might not realize is that Nielsen has been incorporating programs recorded on VCRs into its "live" sample for years.