Nielsen Panned for TV Ratings Changes

The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) has written to Nielsen to complain about the firm's decision to change the metric on which advertising deals for local TV ads are made.

Earlier this month, Nielsen announced it would be introducing a new 'Live + Same Day' TV measurement metric next January, to provide ratings for programs that are recorded and watched on the same day. This has been designed to replace live-only data.

Media buyers say that this will mean they have no way of knowing how much of their client's TV commercials local viewers are actually watching.

In the letter sent to Nielsen Media Research Chairman Susan Whiting, Marc Goldstein - who is Chair of 4As Media Policy Committee and President and CEO of media agency GroupM North America - expressed his 'absolute displeasure and disappointment' with the decision.

'Your total disregard for the expressed concerns of local broadcast media buyers, coupled with your adamant refusal to recognize our point of view is totally unacceptable,' he commented. 'Rather than maintain Nielsen's traditional role as an 'honest broker' of data and information, you have instead chosen to insert yourselves in the buy/sell process, and in so doing you have sacrificed your credibility.'

Media agencies say that the change could drive up the ratings by about 13%, of which they estimate 60% to 70% would be fast-forwarded data. They say that this would mean that clients would be paying extra for programs that are not generating commercial exposure, at a time when local TV ad revenue has fallen 30% to 40% in the last year.

However, the US TV station lobbying group, the Television Bureau of Advertising, is delighted with Nielsen's decision, and has contacted the country's TV stations to congratulate them for influencing the ratings giant.

GroupM is considering taking legal action against Nielsen to force it to overturn the decision.

Web sites: www.aaaa.org , www.nielsen.com and www.groupm.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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