Tag: Nielsen

BBC’s show ‘Panorama’ reveals the problem of online gambling in the UK

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC says that its show Panorama has uncovered figures which show that an average of 5.8 million people a month visited online gambling sites from April to September 2006. The show airs this weekend in the UK.

The statistics from the internet media and market research company Nielsen/Net Ratings show that in May there were more than six million visitors to online gambling sites.

Independent research commissioned by the Government claims that there are only 1 million regular UK online gamblers. Professor Jim Orford, an addiction expert, tells Panorama the Government is being ‘naive’ and ‘playing dice’ with people’s health over its plans to liberalise gambling laws.

He has predicted that up to one million people a year could become hooked on internet gambling because of the Gambling Act 2005. The Act becomes law in September 2007.

Professor Orford, who works at Birmingham University, told Panorama, “Gradually we’re going to realise it’s a much bigger problem than we thought. More people are going to know friends and family members who’ve got problems. Health authorities are going to be under pressure to provide treatment.

“We could be talking about a million people affected by it in any one period of 12 months, and that begins to put it on a par with drug addiction problems.”

UK Minister for Sport Richard Caborn said, “We have, I believe, acted responsibly in bringing an Act onto the statute book, which has three basic principles on which it is based; protecting the vulnerable, keeping it crime free and making sure that those who have a bet will be paid out and it’ll be a fair bet. That is what it is predicated on because we believe that gambling is now part of our leisure industry.”

November 25, 2006
Nielsen, NetRatings launch TV/Internet fusion database in the US

MUMBAI: US media research firm Nielsen Media Research and subsidiary NetRatings have launched their TV/Internet Fusion database.

This product merges information from television and Internet panels into a single dataset, and allows television programmers and advertisers to study and capitalize on the relationship between television and Internet use.

The new service is the first deliverable being developed through Nielsen’s Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative. This resource combines Nielsen’s National People Meter sample of more than 30,000 respondents with NetRatings’ NetView sample, which electronically tracks Internet use of approximately 29,000 panelists from homes and businesses.

The fused database uses panelist information, including age, sex, household income, household education and region of the US to link the two databases, thereby providing a picture of consumers’ TV and online activities.

The National TV/Internet Fusion database serves as a springboard toward the development of a single-sample Internet/television panel. In November, Nielsen Media Research will begin a test to identify the potential impact of Internet measurement on television panel-quality metrics, installing software meters – including NetRatings’ patented metering technology – on the laptops and personal computers of test homes installed with Nielsen People Meters. The company plans to fully deploy the meters during the 2007-2008 television season, assuming successful test results.

Nielsen Media Research chief research officer v says, “At a time when the importance of the Internet as an advertising vehicle continues to grow and expand with new streaming offerings, it’s particularly important to understand the interaction between these two media. The National TV/Internet Fusion database is an advanced multi-platform measurement service that offers advertisers, agencies and media companies an unparalleled view of this expanding relationship; and it represents a critical element in Nielsen’s commitment to measure television wherever and however it is viewed.”

NetRatings VP measurement science Mainak Mazumdar said, “The National TV/Internet Fusion database takes media measurement to a new level. As streaming content becomes ubiquitous on the Internet, the importance of a combined television and internet data set is critical for companies competing for the digital consumer.”

By reporting both national TV network viewership and web site usage in a single data set, the National TV/Internet Fusion database can provide media and advertising clients with a broad range of analysis, including:

– Assessment of Internet usage by TV audiences, including visits to media company web sites by viewers to their network.
– TV viewership by visitors to specific websites.
– Quantification of the unduplicated reach of television sources and Internet web sites.
– Segmentation of audiences to identify and target specific interest groups.
– Tracking of changing patterns of media consumption as more TV programming and other streaming content becomes available online.
– Improved measurement of the reach and frequency of combined TV/Internet campaigns.

In conjunction with the launch of the new service, the companies have produced a research report of their April 2006 fused data, based on time spent watching television and usage of more than 2,000 ad-supported web sites. Included in the key findings:

The analysis of the intersection of television and Internet quintiles reports that 40 per cent of the US 2+ population are more television-centric, 24 per cent are more Internet-centric, and 15 per cent are equally heavy users of TV and the Internet (the remaining portion of the population are light users of both media). Heavy Internet users also tend to watch more television than do light Internet users.

Broadcast and cable networks achieve higher ratings among people who visit their websites, however this relationship differs greatly by demographic and program genre. Visitors to pure-play Internet web sites tend to watch less television than average viewers.

November 4, 2006
News Corp, Nielsen sign eight-year contract

MUMBAI: Nielsen Media Research and US media conglomerate News Corp have announced an eight-year agreement under which Nielsen will provide audience measurement services for 49 News Corp. television entities.

The pact consolidates more than 150 individual agreements between the companies. Financial terms were not disclosed.ovie channels.

News Corp executive VP corporate affairs Gary Ginsberg says, “This agreement, which was more than a year in the making, affords us much greater efficiencies and simplicity in our relationship with Nielsen. We are very pleased to put our differences with Nielsen behind us and to usher in a new era of constructive and even deeper relations between our two companies.
“Nielsen’s willingness to take concrete and ongoing steps to ensure that its measurement systems accurately count all viewers was critical to achieving this deal.”

Nielsen Media Research senior VP business strategy Dave Thomas says, “In an era of digital television and multiple delivery platforms, we believe it makes sense for our clients to take an integrated approach for audience measurement.

“News Corp. has long been a valued Nielsen client and we have worked tirelessly for months to craft a landmark agreement ensuring that Nielsen will continue to provide News Corp. with the highest quality measurement services for their many television platforms.”

News Corp entities and affiliates covered under the agreement include Fox, Fox News Channel, FX, Speed, National Geographic Channel, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports Net, Fox Sports en Espanol, DirecTV, Twentieth Television and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Nielsen Media Research also will provide News Corp with local television audience estimates for 35 Fox-owned local television stations, including Local People Meter (LPM) service for Fox television stations in markets measured by LPMs.

As part of the agreement, Nielsen is investing approximately $50 million in programs designed to enhance the response rates of participants in its samples, with special emphasis on younger demographics and communities of color.

Nielsen adds that it will continue its successful community outreach programs that include a variety of initiatives that promote broader awareness of the company and its role in the television industry.

October 28, 2006
Nielsen to provide video game rating service

MUMBAI: Drawing on its resources in media audience measurement, Nielsen Media Research has launched GamePlay Metrics in the US.

This is a new rating service for video games. The all-electronic ratings service will establish new metrics for the buying and selling of advertising in video games, while also tracking the activities of gamers across other media platforms, such as TV and the Internet.

GamePlay Metrics will be the first offering from the newly created Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services division. The new data will
enable the video game industry to develop an advertising business model to offset the steep development costs of new titles for next-generation consoles.

In addition, the metrics will give advertisers a greater level of precision for targeting the digital consumer. Nielsen’s new measurement service will provide advertisers, agencies,
hardware manufacturers and game developers with independent, high-quality, quantitative demographic data for negotiating the buying and selling of in-game and around-game advertising.

Nielsen’s GamePlay Metrics service also will provide advertisers with analysis on how video game play affects or complements the
use of other electronic media. For example, the data will show what television programmes gamers watch when they’re not playing games. This unified data source increases the precision of advertisers’ target marketing, and enables them to allocate their ad dollars in a more
efficient manner.

Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services VP Jeff Herrmann says, “The value of an entertainment medium is directly proportional to how well it is measured. A reliable and accurate standard of measurement for video gaming will drive advertising investment in this medium and help convert video game advertising from a discretionary advertising experiment to a must-have option.

“Nielsen’s unmatched resources, including its portfolio of intellectual property, extensive technology infrastructure and decades of media measurement expertise, are the foundation of the Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services business.”

Denuo gaming division Play’s group director Saneel Radia says, “For games to gain prominence as both a medium and a communication platform, the gaming industry must deliver the tools brands need to leverage it most effectively. A credible set of data and learnings such as those provided by Nielsen’s GamePlay Metrics Service will provide marketers the confidence they demand, expanding the size and type of deals in this burgeoning space.”

Collecting Video Game Data : The new service builds on Nielsen’s Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative — which provides integrated ratings for video
consumption across multiple media platforms — by harvesting information from existing Nielsen samples.

Nielsen’s national television sample of more than 10,000 households in the US currently collects information on video game use through existing People

Meter technology. Nielsen GamePlay Metrics will use a patented approach to harvest this existing information from current and next-generation video game consoles within these sample households. The new service will passively record the titles of games while capturing key demographic detail about players. Moreover, because it is based on Nielsen’s national TV ratings sample,

Nielsen GamePlay Metrics also will provide advertisers with data on what TV programmes are consumed by active gamers. Nielsen GamePlay Metrics will begin providing video game ratings data in mid-2007. Subscribing clients will receive, on a weekly basis, easy-to-access ratings charts and rankings which show the most-played video games. Clients will be given necessary elements — titles, platform, genre, daypart and demographics — from which to base their advertising and planning decisions.

Nielsen has been working with major clients in the video game industry, including the manufacturing and advertising sectors, to develop the specific metrics that will be used to measure game playing. In order to process the data to be collected from game consoles, the Nielsen GamePlay Metrics service is developing a new audio system to process data on video game, movie, music, video and other media usage.

This system builds on Nielsen’s existing experience with its Active/Passive metering technology, and eventually this same type of collection system will be leveraged by Nielsen’s other A2/M2 initiatives.

In preparation for the launch of the service, Nielsen is also building a reference data base of game titles to be measured, while creating the system for reporting information to clients.

Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services was recently launched as a business unit to provide measurement services to the video game and wireless industries. The new unit will draw upon the resources within VNU’s Media Measurement and Information (MMI) Group, including Nielsen Media Research and Nielsen Entertainment, which recently reported the Nielsen Active Gamer 2006 study.

The key client base for Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services will include wireless carriers, handset manufacturers, application providers, technology and infrastructure companies, video game console manufactures, publishers/developers, agencies and advertisers.

The new unit is led by Herrmann, who has held various senior marketing and product strategy roles within Nielsen Media Research and Nielsen//NetRatings. Most recently, he served as VP business development and strategy for the VNU Media Measurement and Information Group responsible for evaluating new business opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions.

October 23, 2006
Nielsen signs deal with Wegener for encoder product

MUMBAI: Wegener which provides equipment for US television, audio and data distribution networks worldwide has announced receipt of an order from Nielsen Media Research for the development and manufacture of the new Wegener SpoTTrac Encoder.

The encoder addresses the industry’s need for improved broadcast verification and commercial tracking services. Nielsen Media Research provides television audience measurement and related services, worldwide. A division of Nielsen Media Research, Nielsen Tracking Services (NTS) is a syndicated offering for advertising agencies, advertisers, public relations companies, broadcasters, producers, and non-profit organisations.

NTS leverages the Nielsen technology network to capture any video content that airs on television. The service is available to companies that wish to more accurately track their commercials and video content, and manage campaign performance.

The encoder is a turnkey workstation that will encode both the audio and video of television commercials, Public Service Announcements, and other spots with Nielsen Media Research content identification information as they are being produced and distributed.

The tracked data will be collected and integrated into Nielsen Tracking Service’s reporting and performance management tools.

July 17, 2006
Nielsen US’ research council to study ways to improve TV measurement

MUMBAI: US television ratings service provider Nielsen has announced that The Council for Research Excellence will soon begin its first detailed study into one of the fundamentals of television audience measurement — the quality of the research samples from which the ratings are drawn.

The Council for Research Excellence was created by Nielsen last year via a dedicated $2.5 million R&D fund, and renewed for an additional $2.5 million earlier this year. The Council serves as an independent forum for Nielsen to gain greater insights and to ensure that client priorities are reflected in Nielsen’s R&D spending.

The Council’s first study will explore “non-response bias” in Nielsen’s national and local samples, including People Meters and Diary methodologies. The study will seek to understand if there are differences in viewing behavior between those households or persons that agree to participate in Nielsen’s samples and those that refuse to participate.

Do these differences have a material impact on reported ratings? The study is expected to take two years to complete at a cost of more than $1 million. A panel of experts will provide independent analysis and interpretation of the research that will be conducted by Nielsen Media Research.

This study will try to measure all non-responders,.Nielsen says that this is a first step in understanding if the television viewing among cooperators differs in any material way from viewing habits among people who refuse to participate in Nielsen’s samples. Since the ratings are used as currency for more than $70 billion in television advertising, we need to make certain that these estimates are as accurate as possible.

The chair of the Council is Ford global media manager Mark Kaline. He says, “This is an important subject and I am very proud of the work that’s been done already to dimension the scope of this research project. This is a great example of how the Council will work to benefit all who rely on audience research.”

Nielsen senior VP and chief research officer paul Donato says, “This proposal shows that the Council will produce research of the highest quality. This research has the potential to bring significant improvements to audience measurement. Results could offer new models for recruitment as well as improved sample representation.”

The research project will use questionnaires to collect responses. Incentives will have a key role in the study.

April 24, 2006