Nielsen Wants to Talk Ratings Convergence

Invites 75 advertisers, agencies and networks to meet next week in New York.

Nielsen Media Research wants to meet with advertisers, agencies and TV networks next week to discuss ways to better measure a TV audience that’s being dispersed online.

Sara Erichson, Nielsen president, media client services, North America, sent personally signed letters to 75 company clients Thursday, inviting them to a New York meeting on Oct. 16, during which, among other topics, the combining of TV and Internet audience measurement will be discussed.

“I think there are huge issues associated with being able to measure TV content wherever it’s consumed,” said one invitee Shari Anne Brill, senior VP and director of strategic audience analysis for ad agency Carat, voicing enthusiasm for the meeting.

Among the specifics Nielsen is anxious to talk about is its Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement initiative, which the company hopes, will offset criticism that its TV audience measurement techniques are antiquated in the digital age.

“Nielsen has developed an Internet software meter that uses the same technology to measure video viewing online as the Nielsen A/P Meter does for television," Erichson wrote. “We’ve currently installed this Internet software meter among 375 homes in our National People Meter Panel, allowing us to evaluate the Internet usage alongside TV usage.”

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