TiVo and Nielsen Media Research, the U.S television ratings company, announced a deal in which TiVo will provide a breakdown of how some of its customers are using their digital video recorders. That means Nielsen will find out whether participating viewers are watching "American Idol" movie live or watching it a day later and, more importantly, which commercials they're skipping and which were watched a second time.

The arrangement will give Nielsen greater insight into the habits of a new generation of television viewers and it could change the landscape of the decades-old television advertising industry.