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Nielsen Includes Students in TV Sample
From next year, Nielsen Media Research will include the viewing of college students living away from home in its national television ratings. The addition is likely to increase ratings for young adult viewing by as much as 12%.
The announcement comes after a two-year pilot program sponsored by several Nielsen clients, including Turner Broadcasting, The WB, CBS, MTV Networks, Fox and ESPN. During the first year, Nielsen managed to recruit and install People Meters in college locations and off-campus apartments. The second year focused on understanding the impact on overall TV ratings.
During the 2004/2005 school year, college students living away from home watched an average of 24.3 hours of TV per week. Nielsen estimates that overall Adult 18-24 viewing levels could increase from 3 to 12% by incorporating college viewing in the national ratings. This could result in a ratings increase of 0.2 to 1.0 for individual programs.
Sara Erichson, General Manager, National Services for Nielsen, says the inclusion of students' viewing will give clients 'a more complete picture of television viewing, particularly among young adults'. He adds that the company is 'continuously striving to improve the accuracy and completeness of its measurements'.
Nielsen's National People Meter service provides audience estimates for all US program sources, including broadcast networks, cable networks, Spanish language networks, and national syndicators. The company is online at www.nielsenmedia.com
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