Erstwhile partners Arbitron and The Nielsen Co. Thursday said they have signed an agreement to form a joint venture for the development and testing of Project Apollo, a single source research system
that will measure media exposure and product purchases from a single sample of consumers. It was unclear from the statement how the partnership would impact long-term plans for Apollo, which has
already conducted a field trial that is yielding data, though some observers question the long-term viability of the service due to its relatively high costs. Seven big marketers representing more
than $6.8 billion in ad spending are members of the Project Apollo steering committee.
