Nielsen Denied Accreditation For NY LPM By Media Rating Council.

The Television Committee of the Media Rating Council (MRC) met on May 27, 2004 to review the results of its recent independent, external audit of the Nielsen New York Local People Meter (LPM) Service. Television Committee attendees consisted of research representatives of almost 50 Nielsen-client organizations representing a diverse group of broadcasters, cable organizations, advertising agencies, advertisers and media-industry trade associations. After careful consideration of the audit results, the Television Committee chose not to recommend Accreditation of the New York LPM service to the MRC Board of Directors until such time as Nielsen addresses certain matters of non-compliance with the MRC’s Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research cited in the audit and certain other performance issues of the New York LPM.

When Nielsen is appropriately prepared to do so, they will be extended the opportunity to present action-plans intended to cure the non-compliance and performance issues to the Television Committee. The Television Committee believes that Nielsen should move to cure the issues as soon as possible, after which the Accreditation of the New York LPM Service will be reconsidered. This process will necessitate additional external auditing to assure methodological adjustments are effective.

The Television Committee is fully supportive of people-meter measurement technologies, which are considered superior to the current meter-diary approach, and emphasizes that Nielsen’s implementation and performance in the New York LPM specifically drives its concerns.

In addition to the non-compliance situations and performance issues noted, the Television Committee believes that New York audience measurements, including Nielsen’s Meter-Diary Service (the current official New York market ratings source), the New York component of the National Services and the New York LPM Service, may have been negatively impacted by certain public campaigns and activities focused on the representation of Nielsen’s measurements. The Television Committee strongly urges that these activities, where linked in any way to media organizations, be immediately ceased. The Television Committee condemns the use of public campaigns as a strategy for a Nielsen client to alter measurement policy.

About the MRC

The MRC is a non-profit industry association established in 1964 comprised of leading television, radio, print and Internet companies, as well as advertisers, advertising agencies and trade associations whose goal is to ensure measurement services that are valid, reliable and effective. Measurement services desiring MRC Accreditation are required to disclose to their customers all methodological aspects of their service; comply with the MRC’s Minimum Standards For Media Rating Research; and submit to MRC-designed audits to authenticate and illuminate their procedures. In addition, the MRC membership actively pursues research issues they consider priorities in an effort to improve the quality of research in the marketplace. Currently, approximately 40 syndicated research products are audited by the MRC.