Nielsen’s Out-Of-Home Viewing Data Service Starting In The US
Nielsen’s venture to track out-of-home viewing will finally kick-start this summer in the US, according to a report by MediaPost Publications.
The system will provide data on viewing figures in bars, hotels and gyms – something which is previously unavailable and fails to get credit from advertisers.
The national Nielsen Out-of-Home Report – a joint venture with Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI) – was first announced in April 2007 but delays have put the service back to this summer.
It is set to be the first time that Nielsen provides out-of-home viewing data – they will be responsible for recruiting the panellists while IMMI distributes the equipment and collects the data.
A total of 4,700 panellists will be given mobile phones from AT&T with software that allows tracking of the exposure to programmes.
Nielsen is also expected to offer out-of-home data in six local markets – 500 panellists will be tracked in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Houston and Denver.
According to Nielsen, 8% of viewing takes place out-of-home so it hopes the new data will persuade advertisers to pay for the extra ratings, which will give networks a significant financial boost.
The data is expected to be broken down by programme and time period and is most likely to have an impact on sports programming as consumption is particularly high in bars in the US.
Zenith has already signed up to receive the Out-of-Home Report and others are expected to follow.
Nielsen: www.nielsen.com