Market research specialist Nielson has announced a new service to track movie viewing that includes online viewership through Premium Video on Demand services such as Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. The 2020 pandemic has shifted viewing patterns dramatically, with premium titles being released over streaming channels to consumers stuck at home. Nielson’s Theatrical Video on Demand (TVOD) ratings will include movie buys over PVOD, including films that play in theatres before or at the same time as their PVOD release. The new TVOD measurement will not include viewership for feature films whose access is included at no additional cost beyond the standard monthly streaming access charge, which it already reports as part of its Streaming Video on Demand (SVOD) tracking. Nielson’s GM of Audience Measurement Scott N. Brown commented “A bigger question might be what will audiences do following any recovery, how the behavior adopted during stay-at-home orders might influence habits when consumers have the ability to go back to theaters to enjoy that experience and how content creators will leverage data to make the best decisions regarding distribution platforms in the future.”