What's New

breaking news from leading industry sources

Click On an Area of Interest Below
Snapshots Content From Our Research Contributors Conferences and Industry Event Calendar Current News
From Our Research Contributors
01.22.2009  5.7% of U.S. Households Still Unprepared for the Switch to Digital Television
 NEW YORK, NY January 22, 2009 - More than 6.5 million U.S. households - or 5.7 percent of all homes -- are not ready for the upcoming transition to all-digital broadcasting and would be unable to receive any television programming at all if the transition occurred today, The Nielsen Company reported today. This is an improvement of more than 1.3 million homes since Nielsen reported readiness status at the end of December.
 "There are still millions of people who will be adversely affected because they are not ready for the digital transition. So it's critical that we provide them with the information and resources they need to stay connected with the world," said Ernest W. Bromley, Nielsen Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council (HLAC).
 
  Click Here for More Information
09.18.2008  U.S. Ad Spending Down Slightly, Nielsen Reports, with Gains in Cable and Syndicated TV Offset By Declines in Newspapers & B2B Magazines
 New York, NY – Sept. 18, 2008-Advertising spending for the first half of 2008 declined slightly compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary figures released today by Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
 Overall, despite a continued softening of the economy, several media and companies showed healthy growth in advertising for the first half. Advertising on Cable TV saw the largest growth, with an increase of 8.1% over the first half of 2007, while Spot Radio fared worst among the 19 media categories analyzed by Nielsen, declining by 10.1% compared with the same period last year.
 
  Click Here for More Information
09.18.2008  Nielsen Launches New Service – Nielsen on Location Media – To Measure $1.3 Billion Out-of-Home Video Network Advertising Industry
 New York, NY – Sept. 18, 2008-The Nielsen Company today expanded its suite of out-of-home media measurement services to cover the $1.3 billion advertiser-based video network business. The new service – Nielsen On Location Media – will provide syndicated reporting for advertiser-backed video networks in health clubs, gas stations, hotels, retail outlets, amusement parks, arenas, on airplanes, and other commercial locations that are estimated to have combined revenues of $1.3 billion.
 IdeaCast's Health Club TV is the First Network Measured By New Nielsen Offering - Other Network Reports Set to Follow.
 
  Click Here for More Information
09.17.2008  Hurricane IKE & Gustav Market Status Report
 Arbitron today issued its second status report for its Portable People MeterTM and diary radio ratings services in markets impacted by Hurricane Ike and Gustav.
 Arbitron continues to monitor (at a county/sampling unit level) the status of electrical power, telephone service, postal services, station programming/simulcasts and the survey data for the affected markets.
 
  Click Here for More Information
09.16.2008  Radio Reaches More Than 235 Million Listeners Each Week According to RADAR 98
 Sample size increases to more than 275,000 PPMTM and diary respondents;Ninety-three percent of adults 18-34 tune in to the radio
 NEW YORK; September 16, 2008 – Arbitron released the preliminary findings from RADAR® 98, the standard currency for national network radio ratings. Below are some of the key demographic findings from the new RADAR results that advertisers look for when placing their ad buys. Click through to website below to read whole story.
 
  Click Here for More Information
09.01.2008  Understanding and Targeting the New Mass Affluent
 In recent years, a new segment of wealthy Americans has emerged that represents 19 percent of all U.S. households, known as the New Mass Affluent. Based on an analysis by Nielsen’s Claritas Services, the New Mass Affluent consist of eight distinct groups, each with its own lifestyles, media patterns and preferences when considering financial services.
 This new crop of wealthy Americans were born of the post-war boom, raised in middle-class suburbs and benefited from college educations and years of economic prosperity during the bull market of the 1990s. Today they’re the empty-nesters converting their kids’ old rooms to home gyms, the well-heeled shopping at Costco and the workaholics fiddling with their BlackBerries™ on the express commuter train.
 
  Click Here for More Information
08.21.2008  TNS' Holistic Approach Shows Olympic Game Sponsors Go for Gold in Beijing
 New York, NY, August 21, 2008 – As the Olympic Games come to a close, TNS Custom and TNS media combined their extensive research surrounding advertising during the Beijing Olympic Games. The research mainly focuses on six top advertisers picked from worldwide and US sponsors of the Games: AT&T, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Lenovo, McDonald’s and VISA.
 Among the key findings, TNS found that brand marketers leveraged the widespread international attention for the Olympic Games to tap into high-running emotions and feelings of national and international unity. With the US in particular, consumers had favorable reactions to those brand messages, and interestingly, had equally favorable reactions to the quirky humor of Lenovo, whose TV advertising was loosely connected to the Games.
 
  Click Here for More Information
08.11.2008  Growth of Original Programming Powering Cable
 New York, NY – August 11, 2008 – More than at any time in its history, ad-supported cable’s strategy of delivering balance between acquiring viewer favorites while investing heavily in original programming is driving a new era of growth. However, more noteworthy is the role ad-supported cable is now playing as the engine powering all of television.
 An analysis of the past five years by the CAB, found that the success can be attributed to the collective $19 billion investment in original programming made by ad-supported cable networks. This has led to strong viewer followings, consistent ratings growth and critical acclaim for dramas such as TNT’s The Closer, AMC’s Mad Men, USA’s Burn Notice, FX’s Damages and Lifetime’s Army Wives. Click on url below to read whole story.
 
  Click Here for More Information
07.08.2008  New Study of Bar-based Media Shows That Out-of-Home Media Can Be Effective in Reaching TV Ad Avoiders
 NEW YORK, July 08, 2008 – Fully one-third of bar patrons watch television programming at home using a DVR (digital video recorders) and approximately three-quarters use software to block advertising online, according to a national survey by Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB).
 “Advertisers come to us trying to figure out how best to counteract commercial avoidance in their media plan, especially among young adults” said Diane Williams, senior analyst, custom research, Arbitron, Inc. “The results of this survey strongly suggest that advertising placed in bars goes a long way towards reaching this elusive and valuable consumer segment.”
 
  Click Here for More Information
06.17.2008  Election 2008: Where are the Independents? In Boston, Providence, RI and Hartford, CT, According to the Latest Scarborough Survey
 NEW YORK (June 17, 2008) ­ The three cities with the highest percentage of self- proclaimed political Independents* are located in the Northeast, according to a recent analysis by local consumer and media measurement firm Scarborough Research. Scarborough asks survey respondents across 81 U.S. cities to select the political party label that best describes how they see themselves, regardless of how they may have voted in the past.
 "Effectively reaching voters in today's fragmented media landscape is increasingly difficult. As illustrated by the presidential primaries, campaigns are tasked with really getting to know their constituents and making meaningful connections. We saw this demonstrated in the hotly contested Pennsylvania primary last April ­ with Hillary's `shot and beer' and Obama's bowling," said Bob Cohen, Ph.D., president & CEO,Scarborough Research.
 
  Click Here for More Information
04.16.2008  High Gas Prices Disrupt U.S. Consumer Spending, Leaving Less Money to Spend Elsewhere
  New Report Shows Impact of Fluctuating Gas Prices on Consumer Shopping and Buying Behavior
 Dramatic fluctuations in gas prices are disrupting U.S. consumer spending and expected to continue, leaving consumers with less money to spend at retail, entertainment and dining out, according to a new study by The Nielsen Company.
 
  Click Here for More Information
04.15.2008  The Need for Internet Speed: Broadband Penetration Increased More Than 300% Since 2002
 112 U.S. Adults have broadband in their household.
 San Francisco, Boston & San Diego are top local markets for broadband penetration.
 
 
04.07.2008  Nielsen To Acquire IAG Research
 Merger Expands Nielsen’s TV and Internet Analytics Services
 The Nielsen Company today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire IAG Research, Inc. for a purchase price of $225 million. IAG is a privately held company based in New York that measures consumer engagement with television programs, national commercials and product placements.
 
  Click Here for More Information
02.25.2008  Arbitron and Nielsen Terminate Project Apollo
 Arbitron and The Nielsen Company announced today that they have terminated the development of “Project Apollo,” the proposed single-source, national research service.
 New Development
 
  Click Here for More Information
08.10.2007  Nielsen Completes Acquisition of Telephia, Inc.
 Accelerates Independent Measurement and Analysis of Media and Data Content on Mobile Devices
 The Nielsen Company has completed the acquisition of San Francisco-based Telephia, Inc., the leading provider of syndicated consumer research to the telecom and mobile media markets. This transaction puts Nielsen at the forefront of independent measurement and analysis of media and data content on mobile devices worldwide.
 
  Click Here for More Information
08.09.2007  Nielsen Launches NielsenHealth, A Specialized Service for the Healthcare Industry
 NielsenHealth to Help Clients Anticipate Patient Trends and Become More "Consumer Centric" in Healthcare
 The Nielsen Company announced today the launch of NielsenHealth, a specialized service dedicated to providing transparency, effectiveness and efficiency for clients seeking a better understanding of the healthcare consumer. NielsenHealth will provide clients with "consumer centric" analytical tools to more effectively understand and address the attitudes, behaviors and needs of patients and physicians.
 
  Click Here for More Information
08.01.2007  Nielsen Enables Advertisers to Target Television Audiences by Demographic Group and Lifestyle
 The Nielsen Company announced today a new development that provides valuable insight into the media habits of specific demographic segments, allowing advertisers to connect more effectively with key target audiences. For instance, advertisers who want to reach a segment known as "Urban Elders," who drive Toyota Corollas, frequent fast-food joints and listen to gospel music, will find them watching daytime soaps, talk shows and the evening news.
 The offering brings together Nielsen's NPOWER television ratings analysis tool with the target marketing services of Claritas, Nielsen's marketing information provider, and its PRIZM NE lifestyle segmentation product.
 
  Click Here for More Information
06.27.2007  Nielsen Announces the Release of Claritas ConsumerPoint 4.1
 Unique Feature Provides Access to Equifax Database; Allows for Seamless Implementation of Strategic Analysis
 The Nielsen Company announced today the release of Claritas ConsumerPoint® 4.1 – the latest version of its powerful target marketing software – whose key new feature allows clients the unique ability to download prospect lists on demand by leveraging one of the leading consumer databases available - the Equifax TotalSource XL™ file. Claritas is a service of The Nielsen Company and the premier provider of intelligent marketing information and target marketing service.
 
  Click Here for More Information
06.04.2007  Scarborough Sales, Research and Marketing Conference Returns To Las Vegas August 14-16
 Annual Conference
 Las Vegas
 
  Click Here for More Information
05.31.2007  Nielsen Launches Commercial Minute Ratings In Standardized File
 The Nielsen Company today began offering the first standardized ratings of television commercials, giving clients a way to measure the impact on commercial viewing of digital video recorders (DVRs) and other "time-shifting" technologies.
 “The Office” has Highest Percentage of Commercial Viewing via DVR Playback Compared to Live Program Rating
 Television: Ratings
  Click Here for More Information
05.18.2007  New Ranking of Top Local Newspaper and TV Web Sites in the U.S. Reveals TV Stations are Gaining Strength
 A new 85 market study comparing local TV and newspaper websites reveals that local TV stations are gaining strength with online visitors
 WRAL.com was tha highest ranking website with 45.8% of Adults 18+ visiting the stations website within a typical month
 Television Websites
  Click Here for More Information
05.17.2007  Automotive Study (Part 2) available for download from Scarbourough Research/Padio Advertising Bureau
 This report examines the automotive patterns of the owners of 10 vehicle brands: GMC, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac,Saturn, Kia, Mazda, Volkswagon, Saturn & Subaru
 See Articles & Papers for PDF
 Automotive
  Click Here for More Information
05.11.2007  Arbitron Welcomes Three New Markets to the Spring 2007 Radio Ratings Survey
 Spring 2007 Radio Ratings Survey starts Thursday, April 5, 2007, and will include three new markets to be measured 2 time a year
 Aspen, CO (#300), Hot Springs, AZ (#290), Twin Falls, ID (#235)
 Category: Radio
  Click Here for More Information
05.10.2007  Claritas Announces Release of 2007 Demographic Update!
 Leading Demographic Data Provider Continues to Set the Standard with its Updated Demographic Estimates and Projections; Katrina Population Estimates Also Included
 The update reflects the U.S. population as of Jan 1, 2007, which stands at 301,045,522 people within 113,668,003 households. For 2012, Claritas projects that the population will grow by 4.61 percent to top out at nearly 315 million. The update also shows that the nation’s Hispanic population continues to grow significantly and now represents 14.9 percent of the total population, up from 12.6 percent in 2000.
 Demographics: New Release
  Click Here for More Information
05.08.2007  SCARBOROUGH RESEARCH RELEASES ANALYSIS OF THE POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS OF CABLE NETWORK VIEWERS
 An analysis of the political affiliation of viewers of various cable television networks. It ranks cable networks based on the concentration of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and Independents among their viewers.
 Democrats more likely to watch BET, SoapNet and Lifetime/Lifetime Movie Network, Republicans more likely to watch FOX News, The Golf Channel, Speed Channel, Independents more likely to watch The N, G4 and Fuse
 Cable, Politics
  Click Here for More Information
05.07.2007  New Study: The More You Drive, the More Tech Savvy You Are
 Scarborough study finds that the country's top road travelers are more likely to have a wide variety of personal and entertainment technologies
 Top Road Travelers are 17% more likely to have a cell phone, 40% more likely to have a PDA and 12% more likely to have a MP3 Player in their household, ...
 Category: Technology
  Click Here for More Information
05.03.2007  Spanish-Language Advertising Rose 14.4% In 2006, Nielsen Monitor-Plus Reports
 Total advertising spending for Spanish-Language media reached $5.59 billion in 2006, increasing 14.4% over 2005, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, the global advertising information service of The Nielsen Company.
 Every medium reported increased growth with the greatest dollar increase seen from Network TV ($364 million). Spot Radio had the largest increase in terms of percent change (31%), followed by Cable Television rising 20% over the year before.
 Hispanic
  Click Here for More Information
04.27.2007  Claritas Launches Latest Version of Innovative Segmentation System
 ConneXions® NE —The New Evolution — Offers Telecommunications Industry the Latest Target Marketing Tool for Video, Voice and Data Services
 Claritas Inc., the premier provider of intelligent marketing information and target marketing services, announced today the introduction of ConneXions NE —The New Evolution — the latest and most advanced segmentation system available to the video, voice and data industries.
 
  Click Here for More Information
04.27.2007  Arbitron Releases First “Currency” Radio Ratings Data from the Philadelphia Portable People Meter Service
 Radio enters a new era of increased accountability to its advertisers
 New insight: PPM says radio is a “working persons” medium
 Radio Measurement
  Click Here for More Information
04.27.2007  Texas Monthly and Tucson Lifestyle Top List of City and Regional Magazines for Reaching Affluent Households earning $75,000 or More
 A new report issued by The Media Audit on the nations top city & regional magazines shows that Texas Monthly and Tucson Style top the list for reaching adults that earn more than $75,000 in their households
 Texas Monthly reaches 38.7% of all adults in San Antonio earning more than $75,000 in household income
 Magazines: City & Regional
  Click Here for More Information
04.25.2007  New Study Shows Four Out of Five Top Markets for Heavy Outdoor Users are in Texas
 A new national study by The Media Audit shows that Texans are some of the heaviest users of outdoor advertising in the U.S.
 Houston-Galveston and Riverside-San Bernadino took the top two spots in the 87-market studies
 Outdoor: Heavy Users
  Click Here for More Information
04.19.2007  Digital Platforms Continue to Extend Radio Beyond the AM/FM Dial, According to the Latest Arbitron/Edison
 Listening to AM/FM radio stays strong despite growing use of digital audio platforms
 iPods/other portable MP3 players are the fastest expanding digital audio platform
 Radio: Digital
  Click Here for More Information
04.10.2007  Retirees Increasing In Number & Affluence; 27 Percent Now Have Incomes of $50,000 +
 The number of retirees with household income of $50,000 or more in the 87 Markets surveyed by The Media Audit rose from 23.2% to 27.6% between 2003 to 2006
 The percentage of those that stated they were retired rose from 16.8% to 17.6%
 Seniors: Affluence
  Click Here for More Information
04.07.2007  One-third of All Viewers Watch TV Away From Their Home Each Week
 Arbitron study finds out-of-home viewers comprise a bigger portion of television’s audience than industry insiders believe
 Study results consistent with out-of-home TV findings from the Arbitron Portable People MeterTM system
 Television, Out-of-home viewing
  Click Here for More Information
04.07.2007  Scarborough Enhances Its PRIME NExT Data Analytics Software with Addition of Trade Area Builder Tool
 Scarborough launches SCARBOROUGHdelivers.com, a new portal for data and software downloads and updates
 The
 Category: Custom Geography
  Click Here for More Information
03.26.2007  Arbitron Releases RADAR® 92 March 2007 Radio Network Ratings
 Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) announced today the release of its March 2007 RADAR® radio network audience reports (RADAR 92) covering the period January 5, 2006 – December 13, 2006
 During the RADAR 92 survey period, 73 percent of U.S. consumers ages 12+ heard one or more network radio commercials in the course of a week. Among the prime audience demographics sought by advertisers, the commercials aired on the 55 radio networks reached: 73 percent of Persons 18+, 72 percent of Persons 35+, 74 percent of Persons 18-49, 74 percent of Persons 25-54
 Radio: Network
  Click Here for More Information
03.21.2007  Arbitron, Coleman and Media Monitors Release Study on New Country Music
 Landmark Study Reveals that New Songs Do Not Undermine the Audience of Country Radio Stations
 Through an extensive analysis of data from Arbitron’s Portable People MeterTM (PPMTM) measurement of Houston radio listening and music monitoring data from Media Monitors, What Happens When New Music Gets Played: The Impact of New Songs on the Radio Audience reveals how the exposure of new songs on KILT-FM did not undermine the station’s audience levels.
 Radio Formats
  Click Here for More Information
03.19.2007  CHARLESTON, WV; KNOXVILLE, TN: TOP LOCAL MARKETS FOR DIABETES MEDICATION PURCHASERS
 Scarborough Research released an analysis which finds that Charleston, WV and Knoxville, TN are the top local markets for diabetes medication purchasers.
 More than 3.1 Million Diabetes sufferers purchase medication at Walgreens
 Pharmaceutical
  Click Here for More Information
03.08.2007  Number of Households with $100,000 Incomes Increase 73 % in Seven Years
 Households with annual income of over $100,000 increased by 73% (14.9% to 25.8%) in a seven year period
 For the first time, "most" of the households reported being two income households - at 51.4%
 Demographics: Household Income
  Click Here for More Information
03.08.2007  More Than Half of Frequent Moviegoers Find Commercials before Movies More Acceptable than Commercials on TV
 Six out of ten moviegoers recall seeing an on-screen commercial
 To frequent moviegoers (people who attended more than five movies in the past three months) commercials before movies are more acceptable than commercials on television. Over half (53 percent) of frequent moviegoers find advertising before the movie to be acceptable versus 46 percent who find television advertising to be acceptable.
 Movies
 
03.06.2007  Women Have Higher Food IQ's than Men
 National Study Makes It Official: Women Are More Health Conscious than Men
 American women are more likely to try eating healthier foods, have better balanced diets, and watch their calories. Those are some of the findings from a new survey on American health and diet attitudes from Experian Simmons Research.
 Health
  Click Here for More Information
02.27.2007  Satellite Radio Channels Account For 3.4 Percent of All Radio Listening In Fall 2006 Arbitron Survey
 Satellite listeners are heavy users of radio overall and spend more time with AM/FM radio than with satellite
 Improved diary instructions used with sample of nearly half a million Fall diary keepers provides first comprehensive look at satellite radio
 Radio: Satellite
  Click Here for More Information
02.20.2007  Young with Money: 18-34 Year Olds with Six Figure Incomes
 23.2 million adults in the U.S. have annual household incomes of over $100,000 and 6.2 of them are between 18-34
 There are more - both by % and actual number - that are under the age of 34 than there are that are over 54
 Household Income; Young Adults
  Click Here for More Information
02.12.2007  “Mom, Can You Buy This?” One in Three Parents Admit Their Kids Have Significant Impact On Brand Purchases
 Experian Simmons' new study on reveals insights on children's interests, from websites to MP3 Players
 Children between six and eleven have a tremendous influence on brand purchases, according to Experian Simmons
 Children: Purchases
  Click Here for More Information
01.23.2007  Websites Extending Reach of Newspapers
 With the help of their websites, Newspapers are extending their reach by 60, 70 even 80 percent. according to a new report by The Media Audit
 Ten daily newspapers have reached a net reach (a combined reach of both print and website) of over 80%
 Newspapers; Websites
  Click Here for More Information
  • AVAILABLE NOW
  • Snapshots National Service
  • COMING SOON!
  • Snapshots International Service
  • Snapshots Local Events Rollout
  • Snapshots Expanded Media Profiles
  • MAVEN: Vendor Management
  • Tell Me More!