"In today's increasingly mobile world, media companies and marketers want to know when and where consumers are being exposed to their content," said Alton L. Adams, an Arbitron executive vice president.

Out-of-home networks are becoming increasingly popular and difficult to avoid. They have a presence in doctors' offices, fast-food restaurants, grocery stores and more.

"Arbitron is partnering with a variety of best-in-class media customers that have been seeking services that generate a more comprehensive picture of their total audience," said Adams. He says ARB-TV is a natural extension of the company's existing services and "an important step towards cross-platform measurement capabilities." Arbitron said it has not yet requested accreditation from the Media Rating Council for ARB-TV, but continues to do so for PPM-based radio measurement in all markets -- having received imprimatur in Houston two years, and for a version in Riverside-San Bernardino this year.

Arbitron says the PPM, developed primarily for radio-use measurement, is set to be in the top-50 markets by next year. The PPM is about the size of a cell phone and detects audio tones when worn by a user.

This news story is important. I recommend that everyone read it.