Naturally, nobody knows for sure until the real numbers are in & can be analyzed (and re-analyzed , and probably over analyzed), but
this NYT article from back in February sums up the expectations about as well as anything I guess.
Some key points:
-- Only students whose families already participate in Nielsen's television surveys will have their viewing habits measured, meaning that the college students will be seen as part of their families rather than as new, independent households.
-- According to Nielson, the inclusion of college students could increase the viewing levels in the 18- to 24-year-old age group by 3 to 12 percent, which could result in ratings increases of 0.2 to 1.0 points for programs.
-- Certainly there are some obvious networks that are expected to see some help from the change. Fox more than any other among the broadcast networks, along with maybe the new CW (although that seems less likely to get help now given the weak performance in its first few weeks). On the cable side, MTV is figured to see a boost, likewise Comedy Central, as is the ESPN family of networks, with
Sportscenter being among the most watched programs for M18-24 for years now & remains strong in the demo.
-- Another potential winner that's not even on most people's radar might be in the campus network categories. Networks like mtvU, National Lampoon Network, Zilo, etc. which are available typically only on college campuses, most often in cases where they paid the school to be added to their local channel and/or system. If you're still drawing a blank on these networks, take a look at the TV's playing in the background in places like the cafeteria or the student center. Odds are pretty good that at least one of these networks is playing on at least one of the sets.