The development is a major milestone for ACNielsen Media International, a division of ACNielsen Corp., which established China’s first peoplemeter panel in Shanghai in 1996. ACNielsen Media International is China’s largest provider of peoplemeter TV ratings. "Shanghai is China’s most important consumer market and TV is the fastest growing advertising medium in China," said Philip Rich, executive director (China/HK), ACNielsen Media International. "The achievement in Shanghai puts ACNielsen in the forefront of television audience measurement in China. It is vivid proof of client confidence in our TV ratings service. ACNielsen is committed to enhancing developments of the media industry in China by providing accurate and reliable ratings information and valuable audience insights" he said. Currently, ACNielsen Media International operates peoplemeter panels in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Shenyang and Tianjin, China’s 10 most significant advertising markets, representing over 60% of TV advertising expenditures in the country. ACNielsen has plans to further expand the coverage to other major TV markets in China. ACNielsen Media International is the largest provider of the peoplemeter service in Asia Pacific and globally, with over 20,000 peoplemeters operating in 17 countries, including 12 in Asia Pacific. ACNielsen, with 1999 revenue of US$1.5 billion, is the world’s biggest market research firm, offering measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics, consumer attitudes and behavior, and new and traditional media in more than 100 countries. Clients include leading consumer product manufacturers, retailers and service firms, media and entertainment companies and the Internet community.