Nielsen: More Diverse Television Viewing Patterns Among African American & Latino Audiences.

Nielsen Media Research today said that African American and Latino television viewers are watching a more diverse range of television programming in New York than has previously been reported by paper diaries.

The analysis, which reviewed the recent March data from electronic, Local People Meter (LPM) measurement in New York, found that:

* People of color are spending more time watching cable networks, English-language and Spanish-language broadcast networks and leased cable access and open channels.

* There are significant increases for networks geared toward African American and Latino audiences, including BET, Telemundo and Telefutura.

* Shows with African American themes have a larger percentage of non-African American viewers than reported by paper diaries.

The analysis found that People Meters, which electronically measure TV viewing, provide more accurate viewing measurements for all viewers, including people of color, than the current paper diary system, which relies upon people remembering to record what they watched after they have watched it. This increased accuracy is due to a number of factors, including higher levels of cooperation and participation for Local People Meters over diaries, better demographic representation and larger sample sizes.

“This in-depth examination of our March ratings confirms Nielsen’s commitment to correctly measuring the viewing behavior of all New Yorkers,” said Susan D. Whiting, president and CEO of Nielsen Media Research. “The data in no way suggest that African Americans or Latinos are undercounted by the Local People Meter service. What they show is that the way these and other viewers watch TV is changing along with the industry itself.”

What Viewers of Color are Really Watching

The enhanced accuracy of People Meter technology enables it to better track shifting viewing patterns than the less sensitive paper diary system. The recent analysis of March data showed a number of important differences between paper diary and Local People Meter measurements.

* According to Local People Meters, African Americans in New York spent 54.2% of their viewing time on cable programming in March; in contrast, the paper diary system reported that African Americans spent 39.2% of their time watching cable. Similarly, LPMs found that Latinos spent 43.8% of their time watching cable, compared to the 34.6% that paper diaries reported.

* Overall in March, viewership among Latino viewers increased for 80 networks and decreased for 17 under the LPM system. Among African American audiences, LPM viewership increased for 90 networks and decreased for 19.

* Among African American viewers, total day viewing for BET is up 180% under LPMs. African American viewing increased more than 100% for a number of other networks, such as ESPN, LMN, Telefutura, Pax and Starz.

* Among Latino viewers, Telemundo and Telefutura ratings are up 22% and 83%, respectively, under LPMs, while cable access channels and the HBO Zone pay channel are up over 100%.

To view report CLICK below (Adobe Acrobat Reader required):

http://www.nielsenmedia.com/forclients/ResearchPaper_LPMAnalysis_NewYork.pdf