Nielsen Wins Ruling In People Meter Case

A Federal judge in Miami ruled in favor of the Nielsen, which had been sued by Sunbeam Television, owner of WSVN-TV, for abusing its monopoly power over television ratings when it installed its new local people meter audience measurement system.

Sunbeam said it would appeal the ruling and would continue to pursue the other charges in its lawsuit, which allege that Nielsen has breached its contract with the station and engaged in unfair business practices. "The Court held that Sunbeam failed to show that any competitor was ‘willing and able' to enter the local television ratings market in Miami and was excluded from that market by Nielsen," Nielsen said in a statement. "The Court also determined that Sunbeam could not prove that the current ratings for Sunbeam's local station WSVN are less accurate than they would be under a prospective competitor's methodology."