Today’s program content is viewed on more than just television sets. Consumers are watching via the Internet and on cell phones, in-home and out-of-home, live and time-shifted, free and paid, rebroadcasts and original program streams.
As part of its Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement™ initiative, or A2/M2™, Nielsen provides advanced measurement solutions to accurately measure viewing on television and the Internet, with plans for measurement of mobile media via panels, plus additional delivery platforms as further technology is developed and adopted by consumers.
First, we ensure that we have accurate and complete information on the audiences for these “three screens” — television, computer and mobile phone.
To do this, we are measuring more local TV markets with Nielsen People Meter technology, and developing a next-generation meter that can be mailed to the home and placed next to the television set, requiring no in-home installation by a field representative. We’re also using data obtained from digital set top boxes to augment our existing measurement, and providing data on television viewing in out-of-home locations such as hotels, bars and health clubs.
Nielsen representative panels of Internet users provide the industry-standard usage metrics for online behavior. Using server-based measurement, we provide in-depth tracking and analysis of site performance as well as information about audience consumption of, and engagement with, streaming media.
And for mobile media, we are pursuing on-device meter panels to record every interaction users have with measurable mobile devices. To complete the picture, we use proprietary software that captures information directly from consumer phone bills in order to report data on phone service spending on everything from service plans to ringtone downloads.
Then we combine our data sets to measure how consumers use multiple media platforms:
Nielsen TV/Internet Data Fusion service links the Nielsen US national TV panel and the Nielsen US NetView Internet panel through the use of common data elements to provide a single database.
Nielsen TV/Internet Convergence Panel is a separate, stand-alone panel using Nielsen People Meter and Nielsen Net View technologies to measure television viewing and Internet streaming and navigation in the same home.
We also have plans to add measurement technology for Internet usage to homes in Nielsen People Meter panels, measuring all Internet streaming plus navigation in Nielsen television households.
