Media Agencies to Nielsen: Do Not Make Your Scheduled Change in Local TV Measurement

The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) has written a blistering letter to Nielsen, the media measurement firm, over a decision to change the metric upon which ad deals for local TV ads are transacted. Since late June, Nielsen has been exploring ways to improve the rating of local-TV broadcasts to take into account viewers who watch shows minutes or days later with a digital video recorder. Unlike national TV networks, which make use of commercial ratings, known as C3, that measure what portion of viewers do not skip past advertising, local TV outlets are not judged in a similar way due to several technical glitches that make doing so difficult. So local TV is still judged on program ratings, not how many people watch the advertising. Earlier this month, Nielsen disclosed that it would soon substitute a "live-plus-same-day" measurement for local viewership, replacing the traditional "live" metric, to take into account viewers who watch specific programs either live or within 24 hours of their airing. The decision has raised vehement objections from several top media-buying executives. "Nielsen can publish whatever new forms of data it desires. However, you must restore the 'live' stream which you have elected to eliminate as a buying option for the media community," wrote Marc Goldstein, chairman of the Media Policy Committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, in a letter to Nielsen Media Research Chairman Susan Whiting. "We ask that you get out of the way of the negotiating process and let buyers and sellers operate on a free market basis."