Live Shuttle Launch in HD Tonight

Just a reminder that HDNET is scheduled to have live high definition coverage of the STS-117 launch tonight. Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 6:38 p.m. West Texas time. As of now, the weather forecast is favorable for launch.

DVR Viewers Watching the Commercials

Surprisingly, the new Nielsen ratings which include Digital Video Recorder viewers report the "viewer total for broadcast network ads goes up 32% when DVR viewers within three days are included". The USA Today article speculates such habits might drive the price of advertising up. Before, the report most analysts seemed to predict just the opposite - fewer ads viewed and consequently lower ad rates.

I expect advertisers will still be working hard to make ads more entertaining just to discourage fast-forwarding through ads as more people acquire DVRs.