A lot of theory exists about how people use media. The research side of the picture is a bit less saturated. Indeed, some organizations have made attempts to study media usage. But, no matter which research methods are administered, there are always flaws that can cause results to be skewed in one way or another.

NBC is planning to use the 2008 Olympics as a field of research for media usage. The Beijing games begin August 8.

According to CNN, NBC Research Chief Alan Wurtzel said the research will give advertisers a more precise idea of how much consumers actually pay attention to the media, and “NBC hopes its research provides a comprehensive picture of how people are supplementing TV viewership with tools such as video streaming, video on demand and mobile phones.”

The test-bed is being referred to as the “billion-dollar research lab.” Along with the information provided by Nielsen Media Research, online streaming video and mobile video will be analyzed.

“NBC has scheduled 3,600 hours of Olympics programming on its main network, along with Telemundo, USA, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo. That's the equivalent of eight days of programming packed into each day.”

Along with outside research companies and its own research staff, NBC plans to use about ten methods for measuring its audiences.

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