Has anyone done the Nielsen panels? What was the experience like?

Over 30 years ago, don’t remember much except filling out a paper form.

My family was invited to participate about 30–35 years ago. We were issued a book with pages set up for programming to correspond with our local television stations. For every half hour of every day, we had to go in and enter when we watched TV and what program we watched for every half hour that we watched. I found it very boring keeping up with filling in the required information. Our family was the only household in our town at that time from all I know.

I didn’t think that Nielsen still existed with the cable companies being able to track every show that we watch. Of course, the cable companies only know what channel the TV is turned to but they don’t know if anyone is actually watching it. I’ve often wondered if they know when we switch the TV to streaming channels?

Yeah, once or twice. There was a log of watching and radio listening to fill out.

I’ve done something similar, but for radio stations. Several times. Apparently once you get put on the list, they’re more likely to keep coming back to you. Over the years I was also approached to take part in various product panels too, probably as a result of being on the list of reliable participants.

The radio panel just consists of, as @SEKA explained, a booklet divided up into half-hour segments where you tracked your radio-listening habits for one week, then mailed it back to them.

(I should add that I take pride in always screwing with marketing data. When I do the radio panels, for example, I develop a burning interest in listening daily to amateur campus radio stations. And when I do product panels, my preference in something like diet cola runs to the bitingly bitter with a strong chemical aftertaste.)

I had forgotten about being asked to join another panel once I was out on my own and I declined after remembering the pain I considered the first one. I just didn’t have the time to give them filling out the info, work, and take care of my home so I politely declined.