Nielsen also took advantage of the first analog switch-off to study how the transition to digital TV transmissions affected Nielsen’s ability to collect and identify  broadcast codes that will be used to measure viewing in an all-digital broadcast environment, Adweek and RBR.com reported Tuesday.

The test was part of Nielsen’s own efforts to prepare for the country-wide transition to digital TV in February.

In the Wilmington market, Nielsen normally uses paper diaries to measure TV viewing.  Nielsen also has a small number of National People Meter households within the market. 

As part of Monday’s tests, two Wilmington TV stations encoded both their analog and digital signals, and Nielsen tested the ability of its “Super Sites” to monitor the codes and signatures used to identify TV programs in survey homes — both before and after Monday’s digital switch.

Results of the Wilmington tests will be released within one to two weeks.