As people increasingly watch TV shows outside the home and on computers, mobile devices and cell phones, TV audience tracking firm Nielsen Media Research and sister company Netratings on Wednesday announced plans to track TV viewing online and on mobile devices, as well as in restaurants and bars, reports Reuters. The move may have a serious impact on ad spend and advertising revenues.

VNU-owned Nielsen's effort, called Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement - A2/M2 - will be rolled out over the next couple of years; testing will begin this summer. "A2/M2 is the result of extensive consultation with clients, who told us clearly that we should 'follow the video' and deliver integrated measurement of all television-like content regardless of (the delivery) platform," Nielsen Media Research chief executive Susan Whiting said in a statement.

According to Nielsen, the following are key components of A2/M2:

- A continued focus on providing accurate measurement of in-home television viewing through Active/Passive (A/P) metering technology
- Measurement of online streaming video and the addition of internet measurement in Nielsen's People Meter samples
- The addition of out-of-home measurement in Nielsen's People Meter samples
- The introduction of electronic measurement in all local markets, targeted for 2011
- The development of new meters to measure video viewed on portable media devices
- The creation of new research for measuring viewer "engagement" with TV programming