Nielsen announced it will begin including online streaming viewers in its measurement of the reach of TV programs.

The new measurement will roll out by year's end. Tracking why viewers go online, and how much of a show they view online versus on TV, will be taken into account.

A small number of households have tested the cross-media viewing measurement system. Nielsen expects to install the technology in more homes in the second half of 2008.

Using online streams to determine a show's popularity reflects how viewing patterns have changed and will increasingly favor the internet — something the WGA writers already knew.