Nielsen launches Out-of-Home Video Network measurement.

The Nielsen Company today expanded its suite of out-of-home media measurement services to cover the $1.3 billion advertiser-based video network business. The new service – Nielsen On Location Media – will provide syndicated reporting for advertiser-backed video networks in health clubs, gas stations, hotels, retail outlets, amusement parks, arenas, on airplanes, and other commercial locations that are estimated to have combined revenues of $1.3 billion.

IdeaCast’s Health Club TV is the first Nielsen On Location Media report and covers advertising in the network’s 1,000 health clubs across the U.S. Nielsen has recently released January through July 2008 data for IdeaCast to its Advertiser and Agency clients. Other networks that have committed to syndicated reports from Nielsen On Location Media include:

* Gas Station TV (GSTV), the largest provider of TV at the pump in more than 425 U.S. cities, including all top 12 media markets. GSTV engages customers with exclusive news and entertainment content from CBS, sports from ESPN, local weather from AccuWeather and marketing messages that can be tailored to the station and time of day. Reports for Gas Station TV are now available for April, May and June.

* The Hotel Networks is extending its Nielsen partnership and is now providing sponsored VOD content and advertising in more than 1 million hotel rooms. It currently delivers ten premium cable channels (as a package) to upscale and luxury hotel rooms across the U.S. and sells both the national and local advertising availabilities on each network.

* Arena Media Network, a national sports and entertainment media company, that provides live programming and advertising on hundreds of strategically placed, high-definition digital displays in arenas and stadiums throughout the United States.

* Buzztime offers interactive entertainment distributed in approximately 3,700 restaurants, sports bars and pubs throughout North America.

* OnSpot, a digital high-definition network with more than 1200 television screens in Simon Malls, throughout the top 20 DMAs delivering continually refreshed program content and digital advertising where consumers watch and transact.

* IdeaCast Airline TV which delivers both advertising and entertainment content to passengers through seatback TV screens, enabling marketers to interact directly with frequent travelers and mobile business professionals throughout the flight.

The Nielsen On Location Media reports are expected to help the out-of-home video network business quantify and monetize the value of its advertising. The development of these standardized reports with industry-wide metrics was done in consultation with agencies and advertisers, the video networks and their trade organization, the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB)

“These Network reports will utilize a hybrid methodology that will incorporate Nielsen InStore traffic estimates or real world “verifiable truths” where possible”, said Paul Lindstrom Senior Vice President Nielsen On Location Media. “This real world information such as set-top box data from hotels, health club membership swipes, gas pump transactions, ticket sales, and interactive plays will be combined with demographic data in a patent pending process that will ground the data and let us and our clients take advantage of the new digital world.”

“In much the same way that Turner worked with Nielsen to launch cable television audience measurement nearly 30 years ago, IdeaCast is proud to take a leadership role in offering audience measurement for the away-from-home video medium, essentially shifting the paradigm for our industry,” said Jason Brown, President of Sales & Marketing, IdeaCast. “Our work with Nielsen ensures that clients and agencies can see the value of advertising on the myriad screens emerging outside the home that target consumers on the go. We look forward to working with Nielsen on Location Media to issue PPocketpiecesfor our other networks, including Airline TV and Six Flags TV.”

“The Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB) recognizes the importance of our industry providing advertisers and agencies with consistent and comparable audience metrics. To realize this goal, we have developed the OVAB Audience Metrics Guidelines in collaboration with networks, agencies and research providers.” said Suzanne Alecia, President of the OVAB. “It is important for the networks and their research providers to follow these Guidelines so we are pleased that one of the most recognized brands in media measurement is providing a solution that is intended to be consistent with them.”

The Nielsen On Location Media reports will be distributed to all interested Nielsen agency clients for use in planning, buying and evaluating the medium. These reports will:

* Define standard Nielsen’s metrics for location-specific video networks

* Establish report formats that will be common to all Nielsen measured networks

* Bring dynamic measurement with updated reporting

* Provide analytics to support analysis, planning, buying and post-buy evaluation of location-specific video networks

Nielsen On Location Media will draw upon the resources and information assets of Nielsen Strategic Media Research, which has conducted custom studies for individual location-based video networks for more than 20 years. These reports will be standardized with common metrics and will be available for all interested clients. Previously custom reports were proprietary to the client and not generally provided to advertisers and agencies for evaluation.

Nielsen On Location Media joins other Nielsen services that measure media outside the home, including:

* Nielsen InStore, which provides a comprehensive overview of all the in-store and marketing vehicles that affect shopping decisions in a retail store. Within the retail environment, Nielsen InStore will be the primary research driver and is the source of the traffic data that is used for this client group.

* The Nielsen – IMMI Out-Of-Home measurement service which measures viewing to traditional television programming outside the home. IMMI provides panel members with a mobile phone, asking them to carry it with them wherever they go. The mobile phone is equipped with a technology that creates digital signatures of the television audio to which it has been exposed. IMMI then matches these with audio signatures collected by IMMI from actual telecasts. The Nielsen IMMI service is not location specific.

* Nielsen Outdoor, which measures billboard advertising with patented electronic meters using Global Positioning System technology.

For more iinformationat http://www.nielsen.com