Nielsen Pushes Back Ratings Stabilization Plans Until 2016

Nielsen has told station clients that its Ratings Stabilization rollout, designed to smooth out the dramatic ups and downs subscribers often see in the ratings, is on “pause” until 2016. Some 70 markets, representing both Local People Meter (LPM) and set meter DMAs, were hoping to have Ratings Stabilization deployed in 2015. The rollout was slated to happen at the end of July for LPM markets and the beginning of October for the rest. “It’s become clear based on your input, that the model does not align with how many of you sell your ad inventory, nor sufficiently take into account the week-to-week variability in programming lineups,” Nielsen said in a letter to clients.