Bolstered by major new contracts with NBC, Viacom and others, Nielsen Media Research will achieve "9 percent top-line growth" in the U.S. in 2003, according to full-year guidance released Tuesday
morning by parent VNU. VNU also projected that NetRatings would cut its operating losses by more than half for the year and would be a major contributor to a substantial profit margin improvement for
its media measurement and information group, which is projected to generate a margin of "at least 21 percent" for 2003.