New York, USA (July 25, 2011) – Nielsen, a global information and measurement company, and Kantar Media, a unit of Kantar, a leading information, insight and consultancy group that is part of WPP, today announced a multi-year agreement providing Nielsen with set top box data from Kantar Media’s DIRECTViewTM service for use in local TV audience measurement. Nielsen has developed a proprietary, hybrid methodology for the US market that combines Nielsen’s National People Meter panel data with set top box antmd other sources of data, and is continuing to explore the use of this methodology in local markets that currently rely on diary-based measurement.
“DIRECTView is one of many sources of data Nielsen is incorporating in our efforts to provide higher quality local TV audience measurement,” said Steve Hasker, President, Nielsen Media Products & Advertiser Solutions. “Our innovative approach to enhance local TV measurement addresses the technological limitations of using set top box data alone, and we expect it will provide valuable benefits to local TV markets.”
“The integration of our DIRECTView data with Nielsen’s local market data marks an important milestone for return path data,” says George Shababb, President, Kantar Media Audiences North America. “The sample size and granularity made possible through return path data advances what audience measurement has traditionally been able to deliver and will help offer advertisers in local markets an improved service.”
Nielsen selected Kantar Media’s DIRECTView service because it is one of the largest set top box services in the United States that anonymously covers live and time-shifted viewing. Nielsen’s use of the DIRECTView data to enhance its industry-leading audience measurement approach follows a successful proof-of-concept test that provided greater stability in local TV audiences.
About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com
About Kantar Media
Kantar Media is a unit of Kantar, a leading information, insight and consultancy group that is part of WPP. WPP is the world’s largest communications services group with billings of $66 billion and revenues of approximately $15 billion. Kantar Media, which is represented in over 50 countries, helps clients master the world’s multimedia momentum through analysis of print, radio, TV, Internet, cinema, mobile, social media, and outdoor worldwide. Kantar Media offers a full range of media insights and audience measurement services through its global business sectors—Audiences, Intelligence, TGI and Custom. Kantar Media companies also include Compete, Cymfony and SRDS. Drawing upon the deepest expertise in the industry, Kantar Media tracks more than 3 million brands and delivers insight to more than 22,000 customers worldwide. www.KantarMediaNA.com