• In 1996 AC Nielsen spun-off from Dun & Bradstreet to become an independent public company.
437 439 http://www.k12.hi.us/~grojo218/watching_TV.jpg
• Nielsen is the authority for
TV ratings
• Arbitron for radio
• Nielsen/Net Ratings for web site traffic
O’Leary, Mick, “Web Measures Wrestle with Methodologies, Each
Other”, Online Magazine, Vol. 23, May 1999, pp. 105-106.
438
• In 1998, Nielsen Media Research
(NMR) spun-off from AC
Nielsen, which does:
–consumers product market research
• Since 1999 and 2001, both AC
Nielsen and NMR are owned by
VNU, major Dutch publisher.
440
1

• “Overnights”
–25 major cities
–only rate 4 networks
441
• Local measurement:
–211 designated market areas
(DMAs)
–participants fill out viewing diaries for one week
• For local stations Nielsen
“sweeps” months (November,
February, May and July)
443
• “Pocketpieces”
–every other week
–5,000 national peoplemeter households (HHs)
–available online
442
• Advertising rates are based on local stations’ ratings during these months.
444
2

• The stations therefore demand that the networks display their most popular programs during sweeps to attract the largest possible audiences.
–specials
–hit movies
–celebrity guests
445
• There are companies all over the world that measure TV audiences.
• Examples: Audimetrie SA
(Belgium), Barb (Great Britain),
MMI (Norway).
447
“Sites of TV Audience Measurements.” European Audiovisual Observatory . August 2001.
• On the local level, Arbitron competes with Nielsen http://emj.icbdr.com/ProfileImages/5L/IM386K
78T2X9ZXRKL5L.gif
http://www.eurweb.com/images/articles/200
503/nielsen-logo(005-med).JPG
446
• Owned by Robert Maxwell, now
Italian-owned
• Audience measurement in many countries
• Incl.
–UK, Italy, Mexico, Australia,
Poland
• 1 st national people meter system
–(Italy, 1981)
448
3

Electronic Audience Measurement
Source: IP in other countries
Panel
Size
Country Service
Austria TELETEST
Belgium N.V. Audimetrie S.A.
Czech Rep TN AGB AF
France
Germany
Mediametrie
GfK
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
AGB Hellas
AGB Hungary
A.C. Nielsen
Auditel - AGB Italia
Netherlands Intomart BV
Poland AGB Polska
Spain Sofres A.M.
Switzerland IHA
Turkey
UK
USA
AGB Anadolu
Barb
Nielsen
(Hh)
1,200
1,000
1,285
2,800
1,650
1,630
4,485
5,073
750
660
2,300
5,200
700
840
600
5,000
449
• Showed that the high ratings of
French news shows were deceptive. Viewers just watched headlines, and then resumed other activities while the TV remained on.
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2004/sioncampus/11/3
0/road_trip1202/p1_bar01.jpg
Erik Larson, “Watching Americans Watch TV,” The Atlantic Monthly ,
451
March 1992
• Two TV rating companies:
Mediametrie and Telemetric.
• 1989, Telemetric created
Motivac: a passive meter with a motion sensor to detect people.
• Revealed that many viewers disregard commercials
Erik Larson, “Watching Americans Watch TV,” The Atlantic Monthly ,
450
March 1992
As German first market research institute, GfK Group covers the market research topics such as custom, retail, media and technology http://www.gfk.com/
452
4

MEDIEN DATEN SUEDWEST covers classical media (sound broadcast, television and press) and new media (multimedia, Internet, and digital broadcast) http://www.mediendaten.de
453 455
• TNS Emnid http://www.tnsemnid.com/index.htm
• Result http://www.result.de/html/medienf orschung.html
454
456
5

• Arbitron
– Arbitron covers 260 local radio markets with one to four ratings reports per year.
–Diary-based radiosquare.com/ arbitron2.html
Perspective,” Fourth Edition, 1998, Irwin/McGraw-Hill
• Other Ratings Services:
–Symmetric Resources with its MATRIX (Marketing and
Target Ratings Index) report for 200 smaller markets.
–Strategic Radio Research’s
AccuRatings
Perspective,” Fourth Edition, 1998, Irwin/McGraw-Hill
• Radar
–Another rating service is
Statistical Research Inc.’s
RADAR (Radio’s All-
Dimension Audience
Research) studies, which are sponsored by the major radio networks
Perspective,” Fourth Edition, 1998, Irwin/McGraw-Hill
• Diaries kept by listeners in 263 local markets.
• 5 mil calls to locate potential “diary keepers”
460 http://www.andrewhyner.com/radio2.htm
6

• 2.6 mil surveys mailed per year
• Cash premium and letter on return of diary.
461 http://www.andrewhyner.com/radio2.htm
• Weaknesses
–under-report high-income households
–Slow
463
• Strengths
–Longitudinal body of information based on consistent survey methodology since 1949.
462
464
7

• Nielsen BDS launched in the
U.S. in 1989
–tracks airplay of recordings by radio stations, including by format and provide access to stations' play list.
465
• recognizes “fingerprints” of songs submitted to BDS
(~400,000)
• Play frequencies are then combined with Arbitron audience estimates of a station at time of day, for information on actual audiences for ads and frequency of exposure.
http://www.nyse.com/i mages/about/arb-l.gif
467
• Surveys stations (~ 1,100 major stations in 128 markets) by computerized radio scanners, and music is computer-matched
466
• BDS can then estimate audiences for a given title or advertisement in each market
• Provides 4 types of “Airplay
Monitor” reports
468
8

• Nielsen BDS has over 100 million song detections annually on more than
1,200 radio stations in over
150 markets in the U.S. and
Canada
- Nielsen Broadcast Data
Systems
469
• In 1936, the
British
Broadcasting
Corporation, created a Listener
Research Unit http://eil.com/newgallery/The-Beatles-Radio-Times-309383.jpg
Alan G. Stavitsky, “Guys in Suits with Charts: Audience Research in
U.S. Public Radio,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media ,
471
Spring 1995, pp/ 1-14
• Billboard Airplay Monitor
(Radio industry magazine, part of the Billboard family), and
Canadian Music Network magazines utilize Nielsen BDS information for calculating their radio airplay music charts.
470
•Initially, less cancellation with audiences in US Public Radio
•1980: “Research Revolution”
• Audience research accepted as an
“essential management function.”
Alan G. Stavitsky, “Guys in Suits with Charts: Audience Research in
U.S. Public Radio,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media ,
472
Spring 1995, pp/ 1-14
9

• Change in the “the fiscal realities of non-commercial media.”
• External forces (e.g. tax-based funding uncertainties) forced public stations to focus more on the audience
Alan G. Stavitsky, “Guys in Suits with Charts: Audience Research in
U.S. Public Radio,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media ,
473
Spring 1995, pp/ 1-14
• Extrapolating radio audience from responses to
“giveaways”
–extrapolate listeners based on how many people call in or write http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/RP2/London04.html
475
• Radio is to maximize intellectual and moral growth, passion and pleasure
Alan G. Stavitsky, “Guys in Suits with Charts: Audience Research in
U.S. Public Radio,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media ,
474
Spring 1995, pp/ 1-14
–Extrapolate from listeners letters
–On-air surveys
• Issue for international short wave radio (BBC, VOA) http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/RP2/London04.html
476
10

BARB
(Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board)
Measurement System
• 5,000 homes to represent the whole UK population.
• Competitor: AGB, now in JV with
Nielsen called AGB Nielsen Media
Research, in 28 countries, especially UK
Walley, Nigel, “Changing strategies to make TV accountable.” New Media Age , p15-15, 9/2/2004.
477
–TV BehaviorGraphics TM claims to be a more powerful predictor of television viewing and product usage behavior than demographics.
–Merges Nielsen ratings with
Simmons consumer behavior data
479
All information from www.smrb.com
.
Today subsidiary of Experian
Company Simmons Market Research
Bureau (SMRB)
• Simmons Statistical-Modeling techniques
–The premise: behavioral-based segmentation systems are the strongest predictors of other consumer behaviors.
478
All information from www.smrb.com
.
• CSM Media Research is China's leading TV audience measurement company
• AGB Nielsen Media Research, a
European rival.
Dickie, Mure, “CSM shrugs off rival Nielsen's China expansion,” Financial Times (London,
England), COMPANIES INTERNATIONAL; Pg. 29, June 19, 2006 Monday.
480
11

481
• Battle to become the Nielsen of the internet
• Several measurement providers with main ones comScore and
NetRatings.
Roberts, Johnnie. “How to Count Eyeballs on the Web.” MSNBC.com
. 27 November 2006. Newsweek.
482
• The two main companies are
Nielsen/Net Ratings and
Media Metrix.
• Each have about 50,000 people being tracked and are now international.
Appelman, Hilary. “Ratings That Know What You’re Looking At, and When.”
NYTimes.com
. 7 June 2000. Last accessed on 18 June 2007 at
484 http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/biztech/technology/07appe.html
.
12

• Other companies are PC
Data, NetValue (France and the US starting in April
2000), advertising/marketing networks DoubleClick and
MatchLogic.
Appelman, Hilary. “Ratings That Know What You’re Looking At, and When.”
NYTimes.com
. 7 June 2000. Last accessed on 18 June 2007 at
485 http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/biztech/technology/07appe.html
.
• Will track certain sites based on requests.
• Data used for internet marketing, competitive analysis, and online advertising.
http://www.geekz1.com/images/blog/NetRatingsTopTechnologySitesWeek19Nov2006.jpg
Nielsen/Net Ratings . Last accessed on 18 June 2007 at http://www.nielsennetratings.com/ .
• These have been expressed against companies like
DoubleClick that operate without people knowledge.
• Nielsen/Net Ratings and
Media Metrix do not do this.
Appelman, Hilary. “Ratings That Know What You’re Looking At, and When.”
NYTimes.com
. 7 June 2000. Last accessed on 18 June 2007 at
486 http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/biztech/technology/07appe.html
. http://www.digitalstrategyconsulting.com/intelligence/graphics/61348330.gif
488
13

• A part of comScore.
• Monitors tons of websites and claim to measure 101
U.S. local markets.
• Audience research in 12 different countries.
ComScore Media Metrix . Last accessed on 18 June 2007 at http://www.comscore.com/metrix/ . http://www.imediaconnection.com/images/content/chart_emarketer_realplayer_350.gif
489
• Appendix H:
Behavioral Economics
• No duplicated slides.
491
490
14