• April 21, 2006

Nielsen Outdoor, the out-of-home measurement division of media and marketing research giant VNU, Thursday said it is expanding its GPS-based ratings service to Los Angeles, as part of plans to deploy the new technology-based measurement service in the top ten media markets in the U.S. Los Angeles follows the launch of Nielsen Outdoor in Chicago. The service also operates in South Africa. Nielsen said it would begin recruiting a sample for Los Angeles in May and expects to deliver data in the fall. Nielsen's aggressive rollout comes as demand for out-of-home media accelerates on Madison Avenue, and as the out-of-home media industry's Traffic Audit Bureau implements a multifaceted strategy to upgrade the medium's audits and audience measurement systems, including a plan to introduce its own ratings currency, potentially creating a rival for the Nielsen Outdoor service.