Nielsen to Introduce Fully Electronic Television Ratings Measurement to 38 Additional Markets

Nielsen to Introduce Fully Electronic Television Ratings Measurement to 38 Additional Markets

70% of U.S. Households Will be Electronically Measured with People Meters by 2011, Providing Continuous Demographic Ratings Throughout the Year

NEW YORK, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nielsen Company today announced a timetable to introduce electronic Local People Meters (LPMs) to 38 additional markets by 2011, bringing to 56 the number of local markets that will by 2011 have television ratings derived from the most advanced television ratings technology. All the 38 markets identified today are currently measured by a combination of Set Meters and handwritten Diaries.

Local People Meters are advanced electronic devices that continuously record television viewing behavior in real time all year long. The meters, placed in sample homes, accurately record who is watching what programs, and allows the measurement of various kinds of TV viewing activities, including broadcast and cable television, mobile video devices, video games, Digital Video Recorders, video on demand and other timeshifting.

When LPMs are introduced into the full 56 local markets, about 70% of U.S. households will be measured by People Meters. As a consequence, there will be continuous demographic reporting in these markets 365 days per year. This will allow local markets to receive demographic information for events such as March Madness, playoff games, award shows, and Christmas holiday programming, which typically air outside traditional "sweeps" measurement periods.

Introducing electronic measurement to all local markets is part of Nielsen's Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative. The ten largest local U.S. markets are already measured by LPMs, and plans for eight more that will be converted in 2007 and 2008 were previously announced. The schedule released today identifies the remainder of the Set Meter/Diary markets that will be converted to LPMs.

"This is a tremendous step forward for television measurement in these markets," said Susan Whiting, Executive Vice President, the Nielsen Company, and Chairman, Nielsen Media Research. "Nielsen is committed to continuous improvement in its measurement services and converting markets to our electronic Local People Meters will significant improve the quality of our local measurement. As a key part of this process, we are also committed to working closely with the clients and stakeholders in every market to make the transition as smooth as possible."

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.

   DMA Name                          2008    Target     Prelim                                     DMA     Sample     Period      LPM Live                                      Rank     Size      (Start)       Date    Markets Previously Announced   Houston                            10       600     July 2007    Oct 2007    Phoenix (Prescott)                 12       600      Jan 2008   April 2008    Tampa-St. Petersburg               13       600     July 2007    Oct 2007    Seattle-Tacoma                     14       600     July 2007    Oct 2007    Minneapolis-St. Paul               15       600      Jun 2008    Sept 2008    Miami-Ft. Lauderdale               16       600     July 2008    Oct 2008    Cleveland-Akron (Canton)           17       600      Jun 2008    Sept 2008    Denver                             18       600     July 2008    Oct 2008     Markets Announced Today   Orlando-Daytona Beach-    Melbourne                         19       600      Nov 2008    Jan 2009    Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto        20       600      Nov 2008    Jan 2009    St. Louis                          21       600      Nov 2008    Jan 2009    Pittsburgh                         22       600      Jan 2009    Apr 2009    Portland, OR                       23       600      Jan 2009    Apr 2009    Baltimore                          24       600      Jan 2009    Apr 2009    Charlotte                          25       600      May 2009    Aug 2009    Indianapolis                       26       600      May 2009    Aug 2009    San Diego                          27       600      May 2009    Aug 2009    Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville)      28       600     July 2009    Oct 2009    Hartford & New Haven               29       600     July 2009    Oct 2009    Nashville                          30       600     July 2009    Oct 2009    Kansas City                        31       550      Jan 2010    Apr 2010    Columbus, OH                       32       600      Jan 2010    Apr 2010    Cincinnati                         33       550      Jan 2010    Apr 2010    Milwaukee                          34       550      Jan 2010    Apr 2010    Salt Lake City                     35       550      May 2010    Aug 2010    Greenville-Spartanburg-    Asheville-Anderson                36       600      May 2010    Aug 2010    San Antonio                        37       550      May 2010    Aug 2010    West Palm Beach                    38       550      May 2010    Aug 2010    Birmingham (Anniston and    Tuscaloosa)                       40       550     July 2010    Oct 2010    Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News    42       550     July 2010    Oct 2010    Las Vegas                          43       550     July 2010    Oct 2010    Albuquerque-Santa Fe               44       550     July 2010    Oct 2010    Oklahoma City                      45       550      Nov 2010    Feb 2011    Greensboro-High Point-    Winston-Salem                     46       600      Nov 2010    Feb 2011    Memphis                            47       550      Nov 2010    Feb 2011    Louisville                         48       550      Nov 2010    Feb 2011    Jacksonville                       49       500      Jan 2011    Apr 2011    Buffalo                            50       500      Jan 2011    Apr 2011    Austin                             51       500      Jan 2011    Apr 2011    Providence-New Bedford             52       500      Jan 2011    Apr 2011    New Orleans                        53       500      May 2011    Aug 2011    Knoxville                          58       500      May 2011    Aug 2011    Richmond-Petersburg                59       500      May 2011    Aug 2011    Tulsa                              60       500     July 2011    Oct 2011    Dayton                             62       500     July 2011    Oct 2011    Ft. Myers-Naples                   63       500     July 2011    Oct 2011         ***Dates effective with first day of the measurement month***  

Source: The Nielsen Company

CONTACT: Anne Elliot, +1-646-808-4044, or Gary Holmes, +1-646-654-8975,
both for The Nielsen Company

Web site: http://www.nielsen.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment